February 20th

Joshua Stephan Lucarelli was born December 9, 1998 at Yale New Haven Hospital. He was diagnosed at 19 weeks gestation with a diaphragmatic hernia. He was only expected to live about an hour at the most.

From the time of delivery, Stephanie and Rick (Joshua’ parents) were greeted with support and compassion from Joshua’s health care team. They wanted Joshua to live as much as his parents did.

In the Newborn Special Care Unit, Joshua had already been attended to for about an hour before Stephanie and Rick were able to see them. The staff first asked his parents “What did you name him?” They did not want to have to refer to him as “Baby Lucarelli.” “His name is Joshua,” his parents replied, and the staff in turn greeted him with “Hello Joshua,” and “Boy he sure looks like a Joshua.”

For the next 71 days, Joshua fought kidney failure, blood clots, infections and stroke and was placed on heart and lung bypass for 14 days. Throughout his heroic fight, all of Joshua’s doctors and nurses would call in on their days off to check his status. The perfusion department would call on their lunch breaks to see if he had made any improvement. Stephanie and Rick felt as loved and cared for as Joshua was.

All of Joshua’s nurses and doctors cried the day Joshua went home to be with the Lord. They had all fought so hard and had come together so well “like a well oiled machine.” They had suffered a loss too.

Stephanie and Rick’s lives have never been the same since the experience at Yale-New Haven Hospital, and it is all for the good. They admire their level of medical and personal care that is given day in and day out.

On February 20, 2000, a year to the day Joshua passed away, David Michael Lucarelli was born to Stephanie and Rick Lucarellli at Yale-New Haven Hospital. All of Joshua’s medical team celebrated the miracle of this precious gift.

Stephanie Lucarelli
Derby, CT