As Mother’s Day approaches, Diana Mendelsohn remembers that holiday 36 years ago. It was when her son came home after months in the neonatal intensive care unit at Memorial Hospital. Glen Adam Swank was born in January and came home in early May 1985.
He was born weighing one pound.
She said she knows how lucky she is that he was able to be released. She, as well as other parents who went through that experience, all have high praise for the doctors and nursing staff. An annual reunion of NICU parents helped her to reconnect and express gratitude.
It wasn’t easy when Glen was there. He had big challenges then with surgeries, a brain bleed and spinal taps.
But you can’t keep a good man down. Today, he is a student at Ivy Tech studying IT support. He has other challenges with cerebral palsy.
She counts her blessing by being involved in her son’s life and keeping him connected with her interests in ecology and a green community.
For instance, Diana and Glen are also big supporters of Chet Waggoner Little League. Glen played Challenger baseball at the Chet Waggoner park. Challenger is a division of Little League for individuals with physical and intellectual challenges. After aging out of the league, he was a volunteer.
Diana and Glen will participate in a hanging flower basket sale at the ballpark from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. Hint-hint, just in time for Mother’s Day. As an added incentive, flower buyers also will receive white or blue spruces or catnip seedlings.
Chet Waggoner is located off of Riverside Drive near the wastewater treatment plant. If you have a magical cellphone, that will help you find the diamonds.
That’s it for the flower commercial. Back to Glen’s story.
Diana was involved in an auto accident on a slippery road back in 1985. The car ended up in a ditch. The steering wheel hit her expanding belly. “My son Forrest was 4 years old at the time and in the car seat. He was OK. I scooped him out of the seat and carried him to my cousin’s house, not too far away.”
Later she realized she was in labor. “Dr. (Robert) White and the NICU at Memorial Hospital worked hard to save my tiny baby, as there was no stopping the labor. Oh, it was so sad to see him whisked away after he was born, so tiny and not breathing.”
The nurses were troupers to stay with Glen. Some stayed beyond their shifts to be available. “I was overcome with joy and grateful for all of the decisions, critical care and extra care provided by Dr. White and the nurses, such as Linda Polonka and Tammy Harris and many more.”
That was before Ronald McDonald House was available for parents. “I remember sleeping under tables,” she said. She added that things have changed and medicine has improved for those little guys.
It seemed a long time in coming, but months later, they were a whole family under one roof. Sleeping under tables was done.
She said she still is in contact with Dr. White and a few of the nurses. She is grateful for their passion and the NICU work.
• • •
It is a first for the South Bend Elks Lodge 235, on McKinley Avenue. Yep, it is new. An all-female slate of chair/voting officers was elected recently. It has been a long time to get there. The lodge has been around for 129 years. Of course, women weren’t always in the club.
Luci Jordan was elected as exalted ruler. The three other elected officers are Jill Parrott VandeWalle, leading knight; Audrey Herzberg, loyal knight; and Pat Karpinski, lecturing knight.
Pat was the spokes-knight for the group, and she offered a special thanks to Rich Flahardy, outgoing exalted ruler. “He and his team of officers and trustees for all the hard work and endless hours in keeping us afloat during this very trying year of the COVID pandemic. We will be forever thankful.”
Pat said it is a rare thing with all the Elks clubs that the four chairs are held by women. Women were admitted to the club in 1995.
The terms are for one year.
Pat said they are very excited to get things done and coming back strong after the pandemic.
May 02, 2021 at 05:05PM
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Mother remembers journey to holiday - South Bend Tribune
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