Health care heroes: 1,000 reasons to be hopeful

As the nation continues its battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, hope still finds a way to shine through these challenging times. Advocate Aurora Health doctors and nurses cheered several COVID-19 patients as they were released from hospitals across Illinois and Wisconsin, surpassing its 1,000^th COVID-19 patient discharge this week.

When Carmen Benabe, 86, started having trouble breathing, her family didn’t wait very long to bring her to the emergency room. Given her age and underlying medical conditions against the backdrop of the pandemic, the family is more vigilant than ever about ensuring Carmen’s health and safety. So when they brought her to the emergency room at Advocate Illinois Masonic on Good Friday, they were heartbroken by the news: Carmen was diagnosed with COVID-19 and had to be admitted right away.

Benabe’s daughter, Dalia Colon, says the days were long and scary as she and her family waited for good news. That good news came this week. Four days after her admission, Benabe is well on her way to recovery and is being discharged home for self-quarantine.

Colon says her mom’s discharge is nothing short of a miracle, and the family is thankful that she’s still here. Benabe is looking forward to reuniting with family, recovering in the comfort of her home with them nearby, and enjoying homecooked Puerto Rican meals.

Watch the celebration the team at Advocate Illinois Masonic put together to commemorate the occasion:

Christopher Macintosh, 40, of South Milwaukee, was discharged from Aurora St. Luke’s South Shore. He expressed gratitude to the hospitalists and nurses at South Shore and is looking forward to being home with his wife and three sons. He told the nurses that when he is back to full health, he’d love to become a hospital volunteer at South Shore.

The team at Aurora St. Luke’s South Shore celebrated Christopher with a line of clinicians cheering him on:

The discharge of Chicago resident Paul Richards, 69, was a cause for celebration for the patient as well as the doctors and nurses at Advocate Trinity Hospital.

Richards, a retired Chicago firefighter and a Vietnam veteran came to the hospital by way of the Emergency Department. Richards survived on the ventilator for 2 weeks, until he was extubated this past weekend. He recovered in one of the hospital’s COVID-19 units until his discharge at 4 pm today. Richards says he is grateful for the care he received at Advocate Trinity.

“It was like being in Vietnam. Everyone responded with no hesitation. Everyone stepped up to do what they had to do and put their lives on the line to care for me,” Richards said.

Watch Richards equally inspire the team at Advocate Trinity:

“This milestone is an important reminder of the excellent care our team provides and the hard work, commitment and focus it’s taken to reach this point,” said Dr. Gary Stuck, chief medical officer of Advocate Aurora Health. “We’re so proud of how our doctors, nurses and team members have risen to meet this historic challenge, and we’re grateful for their service and sacrifice. But the work isn’t over, and the public must continue to do their part by practicing social distancing and staying home as much as possible. There will be more milestones to come, both happy and tragic. And our actions now will determine how much celebrating or grieving we do later. We’re all in this together.”

Follow Advocate Aurora Health on Facebook to see more celebrations.