Look Who it Was Random video

2018 Fetal Family Reunion Video

1,911 views · Published 18 June 2018 · 2:44 · Indexed 4 November 2026

Channel: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia · 2018 · Travel & Events

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Every June, families cared for by CHOP’s Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment gather in Philadelphia for an annual family reunion. http://fetalsurgery.chop.edu

On June 3, 2018, more than 2,000 people, including patients and families from over 22 states, found an important reason to return to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) — the Annual Fetal Surgery Family Reunion. The event, hosted by the Hospital’s Center for Fetal Diagnosis & Treatment (CFDT), provided an opportunity for those treated in the Center to reconnect with their clinicians and other families who share an inexplicable bond. 

In the United states, one in every 33 babies is born with a birth defect. It is essential that they receive care at a facility fully equipped to provide comprehensive care, including prenatal diagnosis, delivery, and treatment, but sometimes conditions are so uncommon that families and even some providers have never heard of them.

This, above all, underscores the importance of being treated at a place like the CFDT, where intervention often begins before birth and no condition is viewed as too rare. The CFDT is a pioneer in the field, increasingly treating more birth defects, such as spina bifida, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, or twin-twin transfusion syndrome, with either fetal surgery or by providing complex care immediately after birth.

For many, this yearly event is an opportunity for families to celebrate their own breakthroughs and reflect on how truly far they’ve come.

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