Babies for basketball: Ascension St. John NICU supports OKC Thunder in style

The Thunder’s tiniest fans in Tulsa are rooting for the team in style.

All the babies in the NICU at Ascension St. John have onesies, made by their nurses, to celebrate the Thunder's fight in the NBA Finals.

The day after the Thunder's loss, Rebecca Harden is counting her babies' wins, as they proudly wear their blue and orange.

Jack and Alice were born eight days apart, about three months ago. They both weighed less than two pounds. Now, they're both more than 6 pounds. Harden said Jack was born at 24 weeks, and Alice was born at 25 weeks and one day.

"They're fighters,” Harden said. “You would be surprised at how tiny they were, but yet how strong they were. And I think that goes for all babies in the NICU. We don't understand how strong they are until we're in that position, and we have to watch them be strong."

"They've overcome just incredible odds,” Neonatologist Dr. Craig Anderson said.

He is the Medical Director of Ascension St. John’s Neonatal ICU. He’s also a big Thunder fan. It was his idea to turn the NICU into “Thunder Alley” for the "Most Valuable Preemies."

"It's very common to keep lights dim and sound very low, because that's what's best for the babies' neurodevelopment. But in this case, we're calling it 'Loud City,' but we just can't get too loud because we don't want to compromise the patients,” Dr. Anderson said.

The NICU doctors and nurses always do something special for the major holidays, but this is the first time they've gone all out for a sports team.

"We do Halloween pretty big,” Dr. Anderson said. “And we had some babies here dressed up as Thunder players for Halloween. That's I think as close to this kind of celebration as we've been."

As everyone looks forward to the next game and the next day in the NICU, they remain hopeful.

"Sports can change so quickly, just like life in the NICU,” Harden said. “You just never know what to expect, and each minute can be different than the first."

Fighting for big wins, in basketball and life.

On Tuesday, June 17, Alice went home for the first time. Her parents surprised the older children with their first introduction to their little sister.

Image Provided By: Ascension St. John

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