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| PATIENT STORIES: DOMINIC FRIGO |
Dominic Frigo entered the world on September 9, 2008 in a way his parents won't forget nor will the doctors, nurses and staff on duty in Edward Hospital's emergency department that very early morning. Here's Dominic's story as told by his mother, Kendra, in an e-mail to Edward about one week later.
My husband, Gino, and I would like to extend our thanks to your entire department! You cannot imagine how stressful our car ride (to) the hospital was - we were truly in a state of panic - nearly convinced we would have our baby in the car. Contractions are painful to begin with, but when they are coupled with intense fear the feeling is not one I can easily describe.
About 10 minutes away from the hospital (we live about 15 minutes away in no traffic) we realized the urgency of our situation and attempted to get through to a Labor and Delivery nurse to warn everyone we were on our way and would need immediate attention. In the process of getting routed to the correct person another contraction started and we lost the connection. Needless to say, when we finally pulled up at the doors of the ER, I screamed at my husband to get a stretcher out to me in a hurry. We pulled up at 12:48 a.m.
At this point, your crew took over. My husband was trying to get through the revolving door and it was not moving fast enough for him. He was pushing on it and I am sure he looked quite panicked. The security guards saw his face and immediately jumped into action. There was a stretcher at my car door within moments.
I don't know how they did it (the baby's head was right there!) but your group managed to get me onto a stretcher and into the ER. The doctor took the time to introduce herself to me and was very calm and deliberate with her questions (how far along the pregnancy was, how close the contractions were, etc.) I know there was some discussion as to whether I could be wheeled up to Labor and Delivery. The correct decision - to put me in an ER room - was made very quickly. By the time my husband had parked the car (he claims this took 20 seconds) and was pointed in my direction, I was already on my back pushing!
Despite the incredible craziness of the event, your crew managed to include him in the delivery - he held a leg while my son entered the world! Dominic was delivered at 12:50 a.m. - give or take 2 minutes after pulling up!
I know you don't deliver babies often in the ER, but everyone was so quick, efficient and excited - it turned a panicked, horrific experience into one of joy. It's certainly a story we'll tell for years to come!!
Please thank everyone who was in attendance (including the security guards) for their quick action and kindness. We truly appreciate all you did for us.
Thank you, thank you,
Gino, Kendra and Dominic Frigo
Read about the experiences of other Edward patients in Patient Stories.
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