By Kaitlin Czurylo, Director of Annual Giving at NorthShore Hospitals Foundation
September 7 is National Grateful Patient Day — a time to reflect on the care we’ve received and the caregivers who made a difference when it mattered most.
As the Director of Annual Giving here at NorthShore Hospitals Foundation, I hear stories daily from our donors – stories of how nurses provided comfort or a doctor who listened when no one else would. For many of these folks, making a donation after receiving compassionate care becomes part of their healing journey, a way to give back in honor of those who made a difference in their care.
Ahead of September 7, I thought I would share my own grateful patient story!
A patient’s perspective
This past February, as I was driving home from a routine 34-week obstetrician appointment at our Mt. Prospect Health Center, another driver crashed into the passenger side of my car. In the blink of an eye, my car was totaled, and I was at risk of delivering far too early.
I was rushed to the Emergency Department at Endeavor Health Glenbrook Hospital, then quickly transferred to Endeavor Health Highland Park Hospital’s Labor and Delivery Department where I stayed for a terrifying 48 hours.
No one at either hospital knew I worked for NorthShore Hospitals Foundation. To them, I wasn’t a colleague. I was a patient. A scared, expectant mom.
But from the moment I arrived, I felt completely safe. From checking into the ED, to triage at L&D where I began having frequent contractions, each care team member I encountered was laser-focused and calm, keeping me informed every step of the way.
I’ll always remember how the physician came to talk to me and my mom at 3 am. He sat down next to us and thoroughly explained every concern they had and exactly how they’d be monitoring the baby overnight. His calm presence reassured me that I was in the very best hands.
I stayed at the hospital for 48 hours for extra monitoring to ensure my baby and I returned to a stable condition and that there was no trauma to my placenta.
While my husband and my mother had to switch off staying with me and staying with my toddler at home, the nurses and medical assistants kept me company. They kept my water bottle filled, my nurse ensuring it had plenty of nugget ice in it (they have a fancy ice machine at L&D!), they kept me feeling positive and cared for.
Thankfully, I was discharged and was able to continue with the end of my pregnancy as normal. And, as a result of their skill and compassion — and the incredible coordination with my OB in the weeks that followed — my son Benjamin James was born safe and healthy, just three days before his due date.
Expressing gratitude
Each and every person I interacted with in the aftermath of the accident, and during our return to Highland Park Hospital for Benny’s birth, showed me what it means to be cared for not just clinically as a case — but as a whole human.
That’s why this Grateful Patient Day I’m making a gift to honor the care team who stood by me when I needed it most.
If you are also inspired to make a donation in honor of an Endeavor Health care team, please click here. They will be notified of your generosity – we know that it will make their day!
Your gift goes beyond gratitude — it powers the very care that touches lives every day. As a nonprofit hospital system, donations to NorthShore Hospitals Foundation support compassionate patient care, innovative research, employee development and expanded access to healthcare right here in our community.
Together, your story — and your generosity — will inspire and uplift the care teams who give us their best when we’re in our worst moments.
Join us on National Grateful Patient Day by making a gift in honor of a care team member who has made a difference!
