Cindy's Story

Cindy's healing experience began when she visited Parrish Medical Center to take photos for a relative having a baby. She noticed how effortless and orchestrated the whole event seemed. “That was the moment I decided that Parrish Medical Center was where I wanted to have my baby should my husband and I be lucky enough to have one,” she said. As the fates would have it, Cindy attended Mommy and Me classes at The Children’s Center later that year. “Rita Jordan was a calm, soothing soul,” said Cindy. “She made the classes about breastfeeding and caring for an infant enjoyable.”

A week before her due date, however, baby Giuliana decided to make her entrance. “I woke up at 4:30 in the morning, not imagining I would be bringing a life into this world on that day,” Cindy said. But she and her husband Vic knew they needed to check out the symptoms she was having. So they drove to the hospital in their pajamas and nervous silence, with only their phones in hand. Turns out, Cindy was admitted and prepped for the process of labor and delivery. But after deciding to come early, baby Giuliana seemed to change her mind. “My heart was in my throat,” Cindy recalls when she realized her baby’s heartbeat was in trouble. “The door flew open and what seemed like a football team of nurses came flying in.

“From the touch on my shoulder and hug before the surgery to my daughter Giuliana’s first bath by RN Heather Focht, the nurses have no idea have much they meant to me. RN Cara Starkey calmed me as she held my hand. She was so professional, but so best-friend like and comforting. … in my most vulnerable moments, you will never know how you made all the difference.

“I am so deeply thankful for each one of you. Your kind words, your soft touch, your confident teachings and warm smile made my experience so beautiful and memorable. Your training is to be commended and your education is to be admired, but your beautiful way of connecting with people is invaluable! Please know you are so loved by my little family of three, more then you will ever know. If I were to have another baby, I would do it in a heartbeat at Parrish!