Young doctor reunited with nurse who helped save his life 28 years ago

A California nurse was "overjoyed" when she realized her new coworker was a former patient, NBC's Today reported Tuesday.

Vilma Wong, a longtime pediatric nurse in Palo Alto, California, recognized the last name of a young doctor who arrived in the neonatal intensive care unit last month. She asked her new colleague, Brandon Seminatore, whether he was from the area. He told her, "Yes, I was actually born in this hospital."

Wong realized she had taken care of Seminatore 28 years ago when he was born prematurely and spent 40 days in the hospital. Seminatore, who had been told about the dedicated nurses who cared for him in 1990, texted his parents about the discovery, only to receive a photo of him as an infant, sitting with Wong in the NICU.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Wong told The Mercury News that her reunion with Seminatore showed her why she loves her job. "As a nurse," she said, "it's kind of like your reward."