High praise to Holy Cross Medical Center staff from happy grandmother

To Bill Patten, CEO, Holy Cross Medical Center:

This is one of those letters that I hope will be shared far and wide because the content is that good. My daughter, Emily Murphy-Darling, recently gave birth to Rooney James Nichols in your hospital. It was her hope, and that of our family, to have a home birth. There were so many things Emily and her husband wanted that are possible with a home birth. They did their homework, had a midwife – and we all thought it was going to be smooth sailing.

Well, it was not. After about 30 hours of labor and my daughter being completely and totally exhausted, she said, “I can’t do this. I am so tired, and I need to go to the hospital.” So, we all headed to Holy Cross with Emily giving my other daughter and me a list of “I don’t want this, please don’t let them do that, please make sure they don’t give her this.” And the list goes on. Needless to say, we went in armed and ready.

As it turns out, not one of our fears was realized. From the greeting we got from the nurse at the door to the minute our daughter, son-in-law and precious granddaughter checked out, it was not only all systems go, it was a remarkable, happy, supportive, positive experience from beginning to end. The professional, friendly staff could not have been nicer nor more competent. They knew we were all reluctant about a hospital birth and they allayed our fears one after the other.

There isn’t one staff person who worked with us that doesn’t deserve to be named but we didn’t get everyone’s name. A huge shoutout must go to Susan Akins and Jen Ortiz who stayed with Emily for the duration. They calmed her, soothed her, were accommodating to each of us and just set the tone for a very successful and joyous birth. And so it was. There were three other people, Phyllis, Megan and Sarah, who also contributed to a truly exceptional experience.

As the mother of the person giving birth, I want to personally express my sincere thanks and high praise and let you know I will be sending a similar letter to The Taos News. Our entire family will also be active supporters of Holy Cross for their professionalism and commitment to outstanding quality care.