Angela Wortman had a dream when she was just a few months pregnant. She dreamt that her son would arrive early. But not in her widest dreams did she think that meant 13-weeks early.
“I’ll never forget that morning,” says Angela. “My husband left early to work in the woods. I woke up with a severe stomachache and started vomiting blood. I knew I had to get to the hospital right away.”
Angela drove to Penobscot Valley Hospital in Lincoln where she delivered her son by emergency caesarean section. The baby weighed 1 lb 7 oz. In the moments before Life Flight took him to Eastern Maine Medical Center, Angela gave her son a kiss and a name… Henry.
“While I was being cared for in Lincoln, my husband raced to Bangor,” explains Angela. “They told us someone would need to be there to make decisions about Henry. We were so scared because we knew that the next 48-hours would determine if Henry would live. We knew we had to be right there with him.” It was that very day that the hospital arranged a room at the Ronald McDonald House of Bangor for the new family.
Angela’s doctor at Penobscot Valley Hospital wanted to keep her longer but she insisted on traveling to Bangor after just two days. She arrived at the Ronald McDonald house on May 11th – Mother’s Day – and stayed right there for the next 10-weeks.
“The staff members and volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House were so compassionate about our situation,” recalls Angela. “They helped me emotionally and listened to me when I needed to talk and to cry. I would recommend the Ronald McDonald House to anyone. They were such a blessing to us.”
Recently, Angela stopped by the Ronald McDonald House to show off Henry. At four-months old, Henry is a healthy eight pounder. Angela shared with the staff that she has had yet another dream – that Henry will get a little sister one day and that, thankfully, her entrance into the world will not be as dramatic. And that is a dream inspired by hope.
