Maria and her growing family moved to Chicago when she was eight months pregnant. Maria was nervous about changing her maternity care so late in her pregnancy. With the help of online communities of local moms, she chose Lake Forest Hospital.
But after everything, I thought, this is where I was supposed to be. They saved me.”
“I did think in my head, if I was somewhere else, would this have happened?” Maria remembered. “But after everything, I thought, this is where I was supposed to be. They saved me.”
More than the life-saving expertise, it was the care and the support that impacted Maria. It was the guidance her whole team provided when she struggled to make sense of anything.
After her procedure, Maria couldn’t understand why she wasn’t allowed to see her new daughter. But her nurses knew what the mother needed. So one went to the nursery, setting it up so Maria could FaceTime with Nadia.
“That was special, because she didn’t have to do that. I know she didn’t have to do that, but she did,” Maria said. “I never would have even thought to ask, my mind frame was not there.”
When you think your life is on the line, it amplifies everything: every procedure and every act of compassion forges a connection that lasts long after you leave the hospital.
Four months later, Maria’s life is full of a new kind of chaos: that of two children under three years old. As a healthy, happy family, they go on walks, run around the park. Vincent has a lot of energy; Nadia is just happy to tag along.