10/02/2025
Last month, St. Luke’s hosted its annual NICU Graduate Picnic at Municipal Park in Boise, an event that creates spaces for NICU graduates and their families to connect with one another and reflect on shared experiences from their time spent in the unit at St. Luke's.
The NICU has hosted this picnic for more than 25 years. After cancelling the picnic from 2020-23 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event returned in 2024 and welcomed more than 250 attendees at this year’s event.
While the annual picnic allows NICU graduates and their families to celebrate, the St. Luke’s NICU staff finds it just as rewarding.
“This event gives us something rare and precious: a glimpse of the long-term impact of our work. It’s not just about the care we gave in those fragile early moments—it’s about the lives we helped shape,” said Vicki Wohlers, a clinical educator. “Families come to show off their little miracles and celebrate how far they’ve come. They’re always scanning the crowd for that nurse or provider who made a difference. And when they find you, the gratitude is overwhelming.”
One of the families in attendance was the Estvold family, who spent time in the St. Luke’s NICU in 2020 with the birth of their triplets, Penny, Ollie and Finny. They were able to hug and personally thank at least a few members of the outsized team that cared for their then-newborn triplets at this year’s NICU graduate picnic, including Dr. Jennifer Merchant.
“Having spontaneous triplets during the height of COVID was a terrifying proposition,” said Travis Estvold, father of the triplets. “Literally everyone at the hospital and NICU – doctors, nurses, volunteers, front desk staff – was so kind and helpful.
"Our newborns were well cared for, but just as importantly, these frightened and ill-equipped first-time parents received copious education on how to feed, change, bathe, and generally care for the undersized new additions to our family. We are eternally grateful to St. Luke’s NICU.”
