We recently found out our 15-week-old baby did not survive after finding out she had a condition called Amniotic Band Syndrome. We sadly had to go through the delivery process. We were told to call and see if there was a room for us on Friday. They did not have a room for us then, so we waited. We called at 10 am, still no room. We were anxious and frustrated. Not with OSF, because we understood the women that were admitted were having babies that they were taking home and what a beautiful feeling that is. Sadly, we were feeling the opposite.
Finally, at 1:00 pm we were told we could come in. Later in the day, we met Summer. We will never forget Summer. One of our requests when having our daughter was that we have someone from the clergy pray with us before the delivery and then bless the baby after delivery. At the time we needed someone to pray with us prior to the delivery, there was a trauma and they were busy dealing with that. We completely understood and said my husband and I would pray together.
Summer came back into the room and said she was not Catholic but would love to pray with us. She grabbed my hand and said the most beautiful prayer. I will never forget it. She treated us with love, kindness, and compassion that went so much further than her duties as our nurse. She kept telling us that we had an angel watching over our family now. When we left that night, I told Summer that SHE was our angel that night. My husband and I have discussed it more than once that if we had gone in at 4 am like it was planned, that we would have never met Summer. She was meant to be with us during that time of complete sadness and devastation. She was meant to pray with us that night and just be there with us.
To say that we will never forget that night is an understatement, but we will also never forget Summer as our nurse and our angel. OSF is beyond lucky to have such an amazing young woman working for them.