From the NICU to Walking Down the Wedding Aisle: A Moving Proposal at Discharge

The staff at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center's NICU is accustomed to emotional moments, especially when a tiny baby grows strong enough to go home. A marriage proposal – that was a first for them. 

The love story of Bar Sassi and Philip Kochuk from Hadera began at work. After plenty of flirting and shared lunches, they became a couple and their relationship quickly became serious. Last June, they discovered they were expecting a baby, which delighted them both. 

But the road to parenthood wasn't easy. At 29 weeks of pregnancy, they learned that the baby had stopped growing properly. Bar was admitted to the High-risk Pregnancy Unit at Hillel Yaffe, and after a period of testing and concern, their son was born via planned cesarean section at 31 weeks and six days. The tiny infant was immediately transferred to the NICU, where he stayed for 36 days until he was cleared for discharge. 

A baby and a ring – Bar and Philip's discharge and double celebration at Hillel Yaffe's NICU

"At every morning visit to the NICU, the doctors told me he was fine and just needed to grow," said Bar. After five weeks of waiting, the long-awaited day arrived, and it was determined that his weight and overall condition met the criteria for discharge. 

"On discharge day, we both decided to wear white because it's a celebratory day. Philip also asked me to get my nails done because if we're celebrating, we should go all the way. When I get my nails done, I always consult with him on which color to choose, and this time was no different: French manicure. I didn't suspect anything, and we were so busy with our baby, who was thinking about anything else?" 

But Philip had additional plans for the moment they left the NICU. On discharge day, as the two sat with the nurse for pre-discharge instructions, Philip suddenly pulled out a ring, got down on one knee and surprised Bar with a marriage proposal. "Later I found out the whole staff was in on it," Bar said with excitement. "They were in on the secret. And of course I said yes." 

Now, as they head to their Hadera home as an expanded family, they have two huge reasons to celebrate: their baby boy's health and the wedding ahead. For his part, Philip promises that the staff, who provided such dedicated care, kept the secret so well and were present for the proposal – will also be invited to the wedding.