Decked out in full leather and bandanna regalia, a dozen Harley-Davidson motorcyclists zoomed up to Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center on Saturday with a special delivery of plush toys for alumni of the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.
Some former NICU babies, including the first, Breanna Bullion, 9, waited at the hospital’s front entrance to receive the toys as part of the unit’s annual reunion party for former patients and their families.
“I don’t remember any of that,” Breanna said of her stay at the unit.
This year, the Vancouver Harley Owners Group joined the festivities with its delivery of 130 plush toys. The riders group was inspired by a particular NICU baby named Harley, the smallest baby ever to survive in the hospital’s NICU, said Brett Hockley, the group’s activities officer.
“We do charity runs, and we were looking for something new to do,” Hockley said. “We read about Harley in the newspaper and contacted (the hospital) about doing this.”
The toys were handed out to nearly 140 former patients at the reunion on the third-floor terrace of the hospital. Any leftovers will be given to future patients, said hospital spokesman Brian Willoughby.
The riders got to meet Harley, now 2; her parents, Tiffany Burril and Mitchall Gulliksen, and her little sister, Alaura. They presented her with a personalized plush toy — a gray sheep sporting a Harley-Davidson jacket.
Harley was born prematurely on Dec. 20, 2012, by emergency Caesarean section when her mother had life-threatening medical complications. Harley weighed 15 ounces at birth. At first, she was not expected to survive, Burril said.
She escaped the experience without any major problems, Burril said.
“She’s really determined to do things,” Burril said. “When she sees something, she has to figure it out.”
Harley spent 149 days in the NICU, her mother said. During that time, the parents said they bonded with many of the staff at the unit.
“They were really nice and did special things for them, like a Mother’s Day card from Harley to us and a picture of Harley’s first bath,” Gulliksen said.
“It made us feel like we were at home.”
The reunion — the fourth since 2010 — included prizes, a raffle and medically and developmentally appropriate games. Hospital employees re-created an NICU hospital room on the terrace so that former patients could see where they spent their first days.
The unit opened nine years ago and has served about 2,000 babies.
