Meet Alicia, Tom and Cohen
Last year, long before anyone had imagined a world pandemic, my husband Tom and I experienced a life-changing event. It happened the night that our son was born.
We were very excited, waiting for the arrival of our first child. For the most part everything was normal and going well… until one evening, 30 weeks into my pregnancy.
Tom and I were at home watching a movie, when I started feeling uncomfortable. It began as some stomach discomfort with a little bit of back and chest pain. And then it became much more than uncomfortable. The pain was unbearable.
We knew we had to get to Cambridge Memorial Hospital (CMH) – and fast.
You saved two lives that day mine, and the life of my son, Cohen. Without the immediate care I received from a variety of departments at CMH, we would not have survived.
The doctors and nurses were absolutely heroic. And they used medical equipment purchased with your donations to save our lives.
I experienced first-hand the importance of having the necessary technology and equipment to respond during a medical emergency. Doctors need the very best tools if they’re going to do their very best work. And they rely on community members like you to help purchase this life-saving equipment.
Please donate again today, so every single person in our community can have the same exceptional care that I received.
To be honest, I don’t remember much after arriving in the emergency department but Tom has helped fill in the blanks. I do remember the doctors and nurses moving quickly.
I remember being hooked up to machine after machine – machines I would later learn kept me alive. I also remember the start of my first seizure. These seizures continued and I went into a coma.
Tom tells me I had an ultrasound, an EKG and also an MRI. All of this equipment was funded through the generosity of our community…people just like you.
I was diagnosed with eclampsia, a dangerous condition resulting in extremely high blood pressure and seizures. To help me breathe, I was placed on a ventilator and an emergency caesarian section was performed.
When I finally woke up, I couldn’t remember what had happened. I saw my flat stomach and panicked. Thankfully, my parents were with me and they gave me the good news – my baby was okay. He and Tom were together.
Even though I didn’t fully grasp what was going on, I was flooded with relief and gratitude. Thanks to the quick actions of many doctors and nurses and all the equipment they needed at their fingertips, we survived.
Tom and I can’t speak highly enough of the team that surrounded us that night, and in the days and weeks that followed. Everyone at CMH – from the surgeons to the technologists performing the medical tests, to the nurse who thoughtfully braided my messed hair, thank you for your skill and compassion.
Cohen is now seven months old and the light of my life. Every day, I’m still flooded with gratitude toward the team at Cambridge Memorial Hospital and the donors that made my care at CMH possible.
As our community grows and the world around us changes rapidly, our hospital has to be ready to respond. Babies will be born and people facing unexpected emergencies or requiring ongoing care, will continue to need our hospital.
This is your opportunity to show healthcare providers, support staff and patients that you are here for them.
By donating today, you will make a meaningful difference in the life of someone who needs help. It might even be someone you love.
With warm gratitude,
Alicia Witt
New Mom and Grateful Patient
P.S. From the very basic to the very advanced, doctors and staff at CMH need equipment so they can continue to save lives, like mine and Cohen’s. Please give today so everyone in our community can receive exceptional care close to home.