Delfín Di Francesco used to move quickly, but on Thursday morning, the professional IndyCar driver slowed down to catch up with the doctors at Toronto Hospital who saved his life when he was a child.

On January 17, 2000, the driver now ranked number 22 in the world was born 15 weeks early and weighed less than one kilogram.

He was cared for after his return to health by the neonatal medical team at the DAN Women & Babies program at Sunnybrook Hospital and credits their work for his success on the international racing stage.

He told the Canadian press last month, "I am very, very lucky to be here."

The 22-year-old driver spent the first four months of his life in an incubator in a Toronto hospital, overcoming many serious health complications, including lung collapse and severe brain hemorrhage.

Di Francesco’s story is unfortunately not unique.

Of the more than 4000 children born through the DAN Women & Babies program at Sunnybrook, more than 500 babies spend time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

For this reason, Di Francesco and his family launched a fundraising campaign for the smallest children, which aims to share his story with donations to the DAN Women & Babies program and the NICU until reaching a total of $250,000.

Di Francesco said, "I think raising awareness of my story and giving hope to other families in very similar situations is very important for those who feel discouraged in such circumstances."

Di Francesco spent Thursday morning at the hospital, meeting the doctors who saved his life, some of whom remember when Delfín was there as a patient.

The Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport driver also took some time to show off the racing helmet bearing the Sunnybrook logo and the suit he will wear when he makes his first Honda Indy Toronto appearance later this week.