b'Our ImpactPATIENTS, AND FAMILY, FIRSTAs a nurse manager working between the LaconiaAs Caity fought for her life, Jackson was born withanEvery time I went to the unit, somebody else was like, Its and Franklin campuses of CHHS, Caity Casey, RN hasAPGAR score of 1 (out of 10) and a dangerously low pHso good to see you, Caity shares. They all thanked me witnessed many emergencies. But when her own healthlevel. The team immediately initiated a cooling protocol,for coming in to see them, and I was like, No, thank you for took a dangerous turn in childbirth, she came to furtherchilling Jackson to 91 degrees for 72 hourswhile monitoringbeing part of saving my life and my sons life.understand what her patients face and appreciate thehim with continuous EEG. Meanwhile, his mom remained knowledge, dedication, and compassion of her colleagues. unconscious and intubated in the ICU. The comprehensive support includedcounseling sessions for multiple family members, including Caitys mother and It gave me an appreciation of how scary it can be forWhen Caity later asked OB-GYN Heidi Hallonquist, MD howhusband, recognizing their own trauma from Jacksons birth.the patient and also for the family, she explains. Themany people had been involved in saving them, the answer experience has given me a new perspective on everywas staggering:At any given time, there were about 20 ofIn July 2025, Caity and Ricky welcomed their second son, aspect of my life. us cycling through, Casey says Hallonquist told her. ThereColton, at The Family Place. Because of her life-saving were so many people fighting for you. The team includedhysterectomy, she was unable to carry another pregnancy, When doctors discovered that her babys head wasHallonquist, Angela Yerdon, DO, and Tina Langlois, PA-C,so her sister-in-law, Sarah, selflessly volunteered as a sideways in the birth canal and mom and babys heartamong many others. surrogate. Despite the polar opposite experience fromrates had dipped to critically low levels, they decided toher first foray into parenthood, Caity was moved by The perform an emergency C-section on Caity. The next thingMeanwhile, The Family Place care extended beyond theFamily Place staffs kindness.Director Melissa Devine, she remembers is waking up 11 hours later in the ICU. Sheoperating room.When Caitys condition became critical,RN worked closely with the family throughout the was intubated and her mother sat by her bedside. Caity hadstaff members informed her parents and in-laws, thenpregnancy, ensuring every detail was planned, including no idea what had happened, but her mother explained thatstayed with the worried family members in the waitingadjacent hospital rooms for post-delivery, and that every her husband, Ricky, was with their newborn son, Jackson,room, providing support and updates during thosestaff member understood the uncommon situation.The in the NICU at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, andfrightening hours. team addressed Sarah as auntie while referring to Caity he was okay. She also learned that shed lost more thanand Ricky as mom and dad, creating a comfortable four liters of blood and had gone into hemorrhagic shock,They not only put me first, but they put my family first,environment for everyone involved. forcing doctors to perform an emergency hysterectomy. which means the world to me, Caity says.Today, both Jackson and Colton are healthy, thriving At one point, Caity recalls learning later, theFour days after Jacksons birth, Caity was stable enoughchildren.What could have been a devastating tragedy anesthesiologist reported that my heart was pumping, to travel to Lebanon, where Jackson had been transferredbecame, in Caitys words, a beautiful story because of but no blood was flowing through it. for specialized Neonatal ICU care.Despite his traumaticthe exceptional medical care and compassionate support birth, the babys magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) resultprovided by The Family Place team. Caitys story is about The medical team at The Family Place saved Caitys lifeshowed a completely healthy brain. Now two and a halfcontinuing to care long after the medical crisis has passed throughswift emergency interventions and exceptionalyears old, the healthy toddler has met all developmentaland about putting patientand familyfirst.teamworkduring a critical situation by recognizing themilestones. Caity also worked closely with the postpartum crisis quickly and taking swift action. When vital signscoordinator, who recognized her high risk for mental healthThere were so many scenarios that this could have been, dropped, they immediately prepped the OR to give motherchallenges after the trauma.The healing process includedand it turned into a beautiful family story for us, Caity and baby the best chance at a safe outcome. multiple visits back to the unit, where staff membersreflects. They saved my life; they saved Jacksons life celebrated Caitys recovery, often approaching her to shareand have given us the opportunity to live the life we that theyd been part of her care team. have now.22 CONCORD HOSPITAL HEALTH SYSTEM |Patients First'