Matthew Broussard was born in 1978, 3 ½ months premature at Ochsner Medical Center – New Orleans He weighed just 1 pound, 9 ounces. Because of the dedicated care he received in Ochsner’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Matt grew and thrived.
On Aug. 9, 2024, Matt – now a proud Ochsner employee -- and his family returned to Ochsner Baptist’s NICU to celebrate his 46th birthday.
Matt said, “The NICU is where I got my start in life. I have realized that without the outstanding doctors, nurses and staff in the NICU, I would not be where I am today without them. So, if I can help other children and families starting out in life as I did, I will do that!”
Matt was born at 26 weeks of gestation. His mom, Hattie, had previous miscarriages, so she knew she needed to get care from a specialist as soon as she found out she was pregnant with Matt. Hattie sought care from Jay Goldsmith, MD, a neonatology specialist at Ochsner Medical Center – New Orleans. While Dr. Goldsmith, who has since retired, and the team were able to prolong some of Hattie’s pregnancy, Matt was born 14 weeks before his due date.
Only a little bigger than the size of his parents’ palms, Matt was immediately brought to the NICU after birth. Matt’s parents were uncertain of his health and whether he would make it. Matt’s dad, Terrel, went to the NICU to see Matt, and he said he could reach his hand into the incubator. Terrel said that even at Matt’s small size, his small hand grabbed the tip of Terrel’s finger, and he immediately knew Matt would be OK. “It was just a feeling I had, and I went and told Hattie, ‘You got to come up and see him.’”
Over the next three months, the NICU cared for Matt, allowing him to get stronger and healthier. Hattie said, “Every day was another day of hope and prayer and going to see him. The staff was wonderful. Very helpful, very compassionate.”
Terrel said, “I was always impressed with the care that they gave all the babies in the NICU, but at the same time, the care they gave us as parents so we wouldn’t be nervous or lose it when we went there.”
While there were some setbacks throughout his journey in the NICU, Matt’s parents were able to bring him home around Thanksgiving. They continued working with doctors, therapists and other medical professionals to ensure Matt thrived. On taking Matt home, Hattie said, “We were so young, we weren’t afraid. We went through a lot. He had some developmental delays, but we worked hard with him to help him overcome that.”
Today, Matt is the associate program manager of the Education and Community Outreach department at Ochsner. He has worked at Ochsner for the past three years, and part of what drew him back was the care provided to him as a baby. Part of Matt’s role is managing free health events for our community and ensuring they have access to the same excellent care.
Matt will also join the board of Saul’s Light later this year. Saul’s Light is a New Orleans-based nonprofit that provides support and community to families with babies in the NICU. Ochsner is proud to partner with them.
Matt, along with his wife, mom and dad, sister-in-law and the CEO ofSaul’s Light, toured the NICU at Ochsner Baptist to see first-hand the excellent care they provide to our tiniest patients today and to help raise awareness.
While Matt and his family were impressed with the care he received 46 years ago, our treatments at Ochsner have continued to advance, and we offer some of the most cutting-edge NICU care across the Gulf South region. Since Matt was born, Ochsner now has seven NICUs, including Ochsner Baptist, which has a level 4 NICU, the highest NICU care a baby can receive.
The Ochsner Baptist NICU is staffed by an experienced team of board-certified neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, nurses, therapists and more. With a recent expansion, the Ochsner Baptist NICU grew from 54 beds to 67 beds, including 13 private rooms, allowing parents to be integrated into their baby’s care and actively participate.
Matt and his family were impressed to see how far the NICU has come since his care. They are thankful that families have access to care with some of the highest success rates. When asked what Matt and his parents want other NICU parents to know, Matt said, “Keep going. It is truly a journey and doesn’t necessarily end when you leave the NICU. It is only just beginning. Follow the advice of your doctors and nurses, ask questions, and don’t lose hope!”
To see how far Matt has come from when he was in the NICU 46 years ago, Hattie said, “To see Matt now as an adult, successful with a college degree, master’s degree and married with his own daughter, I think that God had a purpose for Matt. We are extremely proud of him and just so grateful that his story has turned out so well.”
Matt said, “My dad always says, ‘If you knew how far you have come, you would know you can accomplish anything.’"This quote from his dad was the driving force behind Matt wanting to come back to tour the NICU and see for himself how far he has come.
If you are interested in supporting our smallest patients and their families during their time of need, please visit our NICU giving fund.
