As we celebrate 20 years of Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast, we’re reconnecting with families from across our community. Families who donated milk to help babies in need. Families who relied on donor milk during some of the hardest days of their lives. And families whose experiences continue to remind us why this work matters. One question we’re always asking is: What does life look like now? In TyQuell’s case, that means life after NICU. So, of course, we had to catch up with him and his mom, Sherita.
You may remember TyQuell’s story. Born at just 24 weeks and weighing only 1 lb., 11 oz., he spent eight months in the NICU. During those early weeks, donor milk helped nourish him while Sherita worked to establish her own milk supply. Later, with plenty of milk to spare, she would become a donor herself.
As for TyQuell? That once tiny baby is now a busy toddler, a proud big brother to little sister TyAsia, and the owner of a smile that can light up a room.
The Accidental Advocate
They say the NICU changes a person. Imagine what eight months can do.
“My greatest priority during TyQuell’s journey was to learn from him and understand the care being given to him,” Sherita says. Because TyQuell was so fragile, she learned to ask questions, understand treatments, and speak up when something didn’t feel right. Like many NICU parents, she quickly discovered that bringing a baby home isn’t the end of the journey.
“The NICU was only the beginning of TyQuell’s journey,” she says. “It gave me the strength to continue advocating for him after he came home.”
What Sherita didn’t realize at the time was that she was becoming someone other NICU families would turn to. And perhaps that’s not surprising. Having long worked as a 911 emergency dispatcher, Sherita knows how to stay calm in difficult moments. She knows how to listen. And through TyQuell’s journey, she discovered something about herself. Strength she didn’t know she had. A voice she wasn’t afraid to use. The confidence to advocate not only for her son, but for others as well.
“We are still in contact to this day,” she says of one family she supported while navigating her own NICU journey. Having relied on donor milk to nourish a tiny TyQuell, Sherita knows milk banking is about so much more than milk. It’s about families helping families.
Fast Forward to Life After NICU
“These days, gratitude comes easily,” Sherita explains.
She’s grateful for how far TyQuell has come. Grateful for the strength she discovered along the way. Grateful for the opportunity to help others. And grateful for the knowledge that even the smallest babies can surprise you.
Meanwhile, if it’s not little sister TyAsia making TyQuell smile, it’s music. He loves nursery rhymes, musical toys, and books with sound effects. But nothing beats hearing Mom and Dad sing. The songs that helped carry the family through those long NICU days are still his favorites.
For Sherita, there’s something special about that. The songs that once soothed a fragile baby surrounded by monitors and medical equipment now fill their home with laughter. They’re a reminder of just how far they’ve come. And while moments like these may seem ordinary, NICU families know better. After months spent hoping, waiting, and wondering what the future might hold, everyday joy feels anything but.
For all of us at the milk bank, stories like TyQuell’s remind us why this work matters. We celebrate the tiny victories. We cheer on the little warriors who once seemed impossibly small. And we never stop wondering who those babies will become.
Every story helps tell ours.
Whether you donated milk, received milk, cared for babies as a healthcare provider, or supported our mission in another way, you’ve been part of the last 20 years of Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast. Explore ways to get involved, make a gift, or share your own story—we’d love to hear from you.
