Two years ago, Tyler McLamb was a typical 3-year old boy – running around, playing and getting into absolutely everything. He spent his days doing what most toddlers do – running around and putting just about anything they can find in their mouths. In March 2019, Tyler started not feeling well with what seemingly appeared […]
Category: Personal Stories

When Gardening Gets Tough
*This article was re-printed from WakeMed Heart to Heart Magazine. Subscribe Today! An avid gardener, Johnny Johnson is a retired power lineman who is no stranger to heart disease. He’s been fighting it for more than 20 years – with several stents and a stroke already behind him. Earlier this year, his symptoms were just subtle enough […]

Why I Choose WakeMed: Lyn Foley
Comfort. Compassion. Care. These describe standards of treatment we might all want, whether in a health care environment or not. When Lyn Foley suffered an unexpected accident and a broken right hip, it was inconvenient and scary — nobody wants to go out to dinner with family and end up in the hospital. But her […]

Why I Choose WakeMed: Keisha Fitzpatrick
Going to the doctor should feel good. That’s why WakeMed patient Keisha Fitzpatrick chooses WakeMed OB-GYN Brier Creek. “As soon as you walk in the door, someone will greet you with a smile,” Fitzpatrick says. “The environment is welcoming, almost like home. Everything is organized, clean, and quiet. It’s a pleasant experience.” Fitzpatrick and her […]

Real Care for a Concussion: Kaitlyn’s Story
As an active basketball and volleyball player, Kaitlyn Jones was a busy 17-year-old student athlete. When she hit the gym floor during a basketball game on December 13, 2019, Kaitlyn and her family didn’t know what to expect after she was diagnosed with a concussion at the emergency department near her home in Henderson, NC. […]

Why I Give: Will Barfield
Each year, the WakeMed Foundation’s Community Campaign offers an opportunity to support hospital programs and services. We sat down with Will Barfield, a local leader and Chair of the Community Campaign, to talk about why serving WakeMed and the community is important to him. Talking to other people about supporting WakeMed is easy for me because I […]

Why I Give: Marco Rodriguez
Each year, the WakeMed Foundation’s Community Campaign offers an opportunity to support hospital programs and services. We sat down with Marco Rodriguez, a local leader and Foundation supporter, to talk about why he gives back to the people and places that make this community great. I’m originally from Venezuela. I lived in Oklahoma for 13 […]

My Milk Bank Story: Natalia Summerville
I am a planner. My plan was to have a completely natural birth with exclusive breastfeeding. It was a plan written in stone, to the point of me refusing a butterfly catheter when I first got to the hospital for my delivery. Long story short – my birthing plan flew out the window. I had […]

My Milk Bank Donor Story: Melissa Miller
Although I had taken a birthing class and previously delivered at WakeMed, I had no idea the Mothers’ Milk Bank was there, let alone that it provided much-needed breast milk to so many NICU babies. On November 7th, 2017 that changed. At 39 weeks gestation, during the early stages of labor, my daughter’s heart stopped […]

Erin Leanhardt: My Experience as a WakeMed Mothers’ Milk Bank Donor
My fourth child, a beautiful sweet baby girl, Lyra Noelle, was placed into our arms last October. I was so relieved labor was over, yet one look in her tiny face told me something was different from my other children. “Down Syndrome” were the two words not yet spoken by anyone in the delivery room, […]