Chi Obidike was premature at birth. Some 30 years later, she gave birth to her daughter Myla who was also born severely premature.

Nine months ago, Myla was also born at Virtua Voorhees Hospital in New Jersey via emergency C-section at 24 weeks’ gestation and weighing one pound, five ounces. As a newborn baby, she faced significant medical challenges, including lung disease, a congenital heart defect that required surgery and severe anemia.

Last week, Myla went home.

Dr. Leonard Goldsmith, the same neonatologist who helped save Obidike’s life more than 30 years ago, was also on the NICU care team during her daughter’s nine-month stay, a Virtua NICU record. Many providers bonded with this mom and daughter amid the challenges.

“The nurses became like sisters to me. They held my hand. They showed me to how to care for Myla,” Obidike said in a hospital release. “On days when I wasn’t able to articulate my feelings, they helped me find the words. They didn’t just care for my baby; they (cared) for me, too. Virtua feels like family.”

The Virtua NICU team who nursed Myla back to health included neonatologists from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, one of the top-ranked children’s hospitals in the country. Myla was discharged on Feb. 24.

Black women are two times more likely to give preterm birth, and while advanced neonatal intensive care improves outcomes for preterm newborns, significant disparities exist. Virtua has the most advanced respiratory support, electronic monitoring and leading-edge therapy for critically ill and extremely small babies, which are those weighing less than two pounds. The hospital also refers families to its community of pediatricians for follow-up care after babies leave the NICU.

Obidike’s husband lives in Nigeria and has only been able to see his daughter on video calls and will soon be physically reunited with his family.

On the day of her discharge, family and hospital staff cheered on Obidike and Myla as they departed. Obidike’s middle name is Ijeoma, which means “safe journey” in Nigerian.

“I refer to Chi as a human exclamation point, radiating positivity wherever she goes,” said Kasey Hewitt, a NICU social worker at Virtua, in a release. “Journeys like this are long and difficult, and her continued spirit has brought such hope and resilience. She served as a constant reminder to all of us why were are in this line of work and show up every day.”