Susan Goldwater Levine

(Susan Goldwater Levine )

She won’t remember. I was one of many she came across. To this day, she doesn’t know how she impacted my life and my family’s. Quite a long time ago, I was a 30 something woman who unexpectedly ended up pregnant, without any maternal instincts and frankly in denial that I was going to give birth to a human being. I wandered around in a fog for the first three months thinking I had a long term case of the flu that carried with it the odd side effect of weight gain. No, not the sharpest tool in the shed I admit. But, it’s the truth.
On the very day my pregnancy was confirmed, which left me sad, mad and a bit frazzled, our swanky Saab was hit dead on by a teenage driver somewhere along Camelback. Our only car was totaled, I was left with broken ribs, a collapsed lung and lots of bruises. Frantic and banged up, we went right back to the obstetrician’s office where he pronounced the high probability of a miscarriage. “Go home,” he said. “Put your feet up and wait for what might happen.”
I hung out for the next several days waiting for it all to be over. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. This baby was stubborn, hanging on and not about to give up. I went along with it as best I could. Not knowing how our baby would be or if it would even survive, we didn’t invest too much in the idea of parenthood. I did not buy baby items, get a room ready or even really acknowledge the fact that motherhood loomed large. I didn’t think about the future much and tried to just get through my days.
About a month or so early, I went into labor and the die was cast. There was going to be a baby and that was that. Camaley was born during a hot September night and seemed to be in good shape given what we had endured. However, there were problems that stemmed from prematurity and that was troubling.
The doctors decided it was best that we get our new baby home and try to get things moved along. She was placed in an incubator-styled box lined with viscous overhead lights. We had to keep her eyes wrapped to protect them from the light and were not supposed to take her outside the box except for bathing, feeding and changing.
Two nurses came daily to inspect her tiny body, draw blood from her pitiful little feet and take measurements. They hemmed and hawed a lot, with little shakes of their head that wracked me with fear I had never known.
At one point, I was so crazed with a lack of sleep and despair that I called the only person who the nurses always seemed to report back to: Susan Goldwater. She was in charge of the service who came to our house and the nurses paid special attention to precisely detail their notes for her. A no-nonsense nurse by trade, I could tell that our visiting healthcare workers deferred to their leader in a most reverent manner. So, at my lowest, I picked up the phone and demanded to hear directly from the head nurse in charge.
With a calm and assuring voice, Mrs. Goldwater let me know that the process of taking blood samples and measurements were in the best interest of my baby. She encouraged me to take our newborn out of the odd home incubator and hold her so that we could bond. She empowered me to embrace motherhood and do what I felt was right. Along with her wisdom, was an old fashioned admonishment to buck up and get things done so we could all get on with life.
And, you know what? She was right. Susan Goldwater delivered up a common sense approach to what was our reality. She listened to my frantic plea with compassion and an odd tinge of stalwartness. Her stable demeanor gave me the strength to face my situation.
Those weeks were a brutal way to start a new life. But, I think it made us appreciate the paths we have taken. Our baby is now a woman and all is well. Susan Goldwater Levine gave me the hand that rocked the cradle so we could embrace our new world. She has been the guide for so many through all phases of life. Her nursing career, Hospice of the Valley and community leadership has been inspiring. Now this woman who has been at the heart of so many families is entering retirement. Good for her.
Susan Goldwater Levine, thank you from so many of us. You helped us get through the tough times so we could embrace the good times.
From the Heart…