JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Travis Hunter and his wife, Leanna, went back to Wolfson Children’s Hospital this week with a simple mission: thank the people who helped carry their family through a terrifying stretch last year.
The Jaguars cornerback/receiver and Leanna surprised nurses with lunch and new scrubs, a gesture tied to the care their son received after he was born nearly eight weeks premature. He spent weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit, working through the basic milestones of newborn life, including feeding and breathing consistently on his own.
“Being first-time parents, you need all the help you can get going through the experience,” Travis said.
That help came in more ways than one. The couple helped secure a donation of 500 sets of Create Amor scrubs for Wolfson Children’s nurses through the Healthcare Heroes Initiative, and Firehouse Subs provided lunch for the event.
For Travis and Leanna, the hospital visit was personal in every sense. Their son’s premature birth happened during Travis’ rookie season with the Jaguars, which meant he was trying to learn life as a new NFL player while also figuring out fatherhood. Leanna spent much of that time at the hospital, while Travis bounced between the NICU and the demands of his first season.
He said seeing his son before heading to the Jaguars facility often gave him the push he needed to get through practice and work. And when he had to leave the hospital, knowing his son was in good hands helped him stay locked in.
“Being first-time parents, you need all the help you can get going through the experience,” Travis said.
The nurses weren’t only handling medical care. Travis said they also taught the couple some of the basics, including bottle feeding and burping their baby.
One nurse in particular, Rebekah Davis, left a lasting mark on the family. Travis said Davis gave them peace of mind on nights when they struggled with leaving the hospital, because they knew their son was being looked after and they could go home and rest.
Davis said her approach with Travis, Leanna and their son was no different from the care she gives any family who comes through Wolfson.
“From making sure the baby has the support they need to grow and be healthy and flourish and making sure that family has the tools that they need to just feel confident and safe,” Davis said.
She also pointed to the emotional payoff that comes at the end of a NICU journey.
“It’s been a rollercoaster and been through a lot, but to be able to get that baby ready and walk into their car and send them home is such a rewarding moment as a nurse,” Davis said.
Wolfson Children’s Hospital President Allegra Jaros said the visit mattered because it highlighted the work nurses do for families throughout Northeast Florida every day.
“We’re so fortunate and blessed to have them in our community,” Jaros said. “And so to have somebody like Travis and Leanna take the time out of their day and come down here and bring awareness to how important Wolfson Children’s Hospital is to our community, it makes a huge difference.”
With another NFL season about to begin, Travis and Leanna made the trip back to Wolfson before football fully took over again. This time, they returned under much happier circumstances, determined to show the nurses who once supported them just how much that care meant.
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