Maggie was born premature, arriving four weeks earlier than her family had expected. After she was delivered through an emergency C-section, Maggie was airlifted to an area NICU.

“It was really hard. I didn’t get to hold her for the first time until she was three days old,” explained Christy, Maggie’s mom.

Maggie stayed in the NICU for about a week and then was discharged to go home with her family. A few months later, it was recommended that Maggie enroll in Early Intervention services.

Through La Rabida’s Child and Family Connections (CFC), children and families can enter the Illinois Early Intervention program. Early Intervention (EI) is a statewide program that provides support and services for families to help children under the age of three to help them meet developmental milestones. “I picked La Rabida because it was local and they have a good reputation,” shared Christy. Maggie and her family were connected to Aylin Benitez, service coordinator at La Rabida’s CFC, and Laurie Webb, Maggie’s physical therapist.

As a result of being born premature, Maggie experienced some developmental delays. “She is 17 months old, but is at an 8 month level. Cognitively she is fine, but she is not verbal or walking. That is what we are working really hard on.” Maggie works with her care team on a weekly basis to grow stronger and stronger.

“Maggie has significantly improved. She is making huge strides towards improving her fine and gross motors skills.”

Maggie and her family had to take a break from therapy earlier this year, but the CFC team continued to keep in touch. “We took a little bit of a break, but Aylin stayed connectedto us,” explained Christy. “The fact that the team stayed in touch even when we weren’t visiting was incredible. That level of care is amazing. I realize they have a lot of cases and the fact that they thought of us even when we weren’t on their roster made us feel supported and that they were champions of Maggie’s success.” Maggie and Christy have since returned to weekly care and are seeing improvements in Maggie.

“It’s been a great support system. I feel more empowered to help my daughter.”

In honor of Giving Tuesday, Christy hosted a fundraiser benefitting La Rabida. “I really appreciate all of the support and services that we got from La Rabida and I wanted to support their work.”

This story was featured in the January 2022 issue of Currents. Read the full issue here.