We’re Not Just Strong, We’re NICU Strong!
October 21, 2025
For Casey Dahl and Jose Ponce, it’s partly a matter of math. They say that in the end, the love you give is equal to the love you receive, and that sentiment took on a profound new meaning at Hackensack Meridian Health. The couple has received so much compassion, expert care and love from the team that took care of them when their quadruplets were born premature at Hackensack University Medical Center in 2021, that they decided to pay it forward by participating in the annual NICUSTRONG Walk.
NICU Strong is an annual fundraising event that supports the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Hackensack Meridian Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital, which is located at Hackensack University Medical Center.
“It is very meaningful for us to give back, and not just because we want to say thank you - and we can’t say thank you enough,” says Casey. “It’s that we want to make a difference in the lives of other NICU families. We get to do this while honoring the people who cared for our children.”
And so that is why family and friends from throughout the East Coast, from as far away as Florida, rallied to help the family raise just shy of $3,000 for the NICU that helped to care for their vulnerable babies. Now 3 ½-years-old, the quads - Serena, Aaron, Maverick and Penelope - walked alongside the team - the largest of the 49 teams that took part in this year’s event.
“We had a total of 75 family members and friends join us this year,” says Casey. “It’s our fourth year doing the event and for us, it’s like a reunion. I love seeing the nurses and the doctors that took care of my babies when I couldn’t. The NICU team really is the best team. They really have the best village caring for children, and it’s been great to know that my children were, and are, so loved.”
Combined, the Ponce babies' time in the intensive care unit ranged from 90 days to 117 days. If you were to add up each of their stays they would total 317.
Lisa Eiland, M.D., lead of Neonatology at the Children’s Hospital, was deeply moved by the support from the families who came out to Van Saun Park in Paramus for this year’s walk, sharing that the funds raised, more than $500,000 since 2018, have funded innovative treatment and technology, as well as equipment like a new state-of-the-art ultrasound machine that makes it possible for NICU doctors to expedite diagnoses and patient care decisions.
The event also funds the Beads of Courage program, which provides families with tangible beads that represent specific treatments and milestones their baby experiences in the NICU, and “Reach Out and Read,” a literacy program. Other funding projects include the purchase of life-like manikins to facilitate professional development for nurses, social programs for parents and the March of Dimes Family Support Program which serves NICU families.
“Look at what we have accomplished together since 2018,” Dr. Eiland says. “All of the funds we have raised together help us transform care for our NICU babies and their families.” In total, this year’s event raised $43,000 to support this vital department, and that adds up to love.”
To learn more about how you can support the NICU or children’s health initiatives at Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital, email Natalie Tessoun, executive director of development, at natalie.tessoun@hmhn.org.
