You Inspire The Best in Us.

With the many advances in care and treatments, today’s patients have more and more reasons to expect the best outcomes. Here are the incredible stories of our patients and their journeys. Click on a thumbnail and scroll down to view each story.

  • In Charge and In Control
  • Bridging the Gap for Local Surgical Care
  • A People-First Approach to Building the Workforce
  • McLeodMyChart
  • An Unexpected Journey
  • Doubling Down on Diabetes
  • Strength on the Sidelines
  • Keeping Up with the Joneses
  • The Many Faces of McLeod Heroes
  • A Servant’s Heart
  • McLeod Health: An Epic Journey
  • Accident Becomes a Blessing in Disguise
  • Partners in Caring
  • Quality Care Close to Home
  • Transforming Health Care
    in the Midlands
  • Accessing Health Care at Work
  • A Bright Future Ahead
  • A New Year and New Lease on Life
  • Free From the Fire
  • Exceeding Expectations
  • Connecting Students with
    Care at School
  • Able to Breathe Again
  • Expanding Access to Specialty Care
  • A Model for Clinical Education
  • Superlative Care in a Rural Setting
  • Repairing Bodies One Patient at a Time
  • Committed to Care Everywhere
  • Enhanced Access to Health Information
  • Lending a Helping Hand
  • The Miracle of Life Restored
  • In Excellent Hands when Seconds Count
  • Breathing New Life
  • A Dose of Vitamin Sea
  • McLeod TeleHealth: Bringing Specialized Care To Rural Areas
  • A Residency Program With A Passion To Care
  • Transforming Lives With A Team Approach
  • How Your Health Impacts Your Job
  • Committed To Safety And Quality
  • Enhancing Men’s Health
  • Enhancing the Patient’s Experience
  • More Than Bricks & Mortar
  • Thankful for the Vision
  • A Mission Dedicated to Healing & Access
  • Access Excellence
  • A Broader Scope
  • In Good Hands
  • Exceptional Surgical Abilities Coupled with Enhanced Technology
  • We turned a One-Pound Bundle into Joy
  • Fred Kristensen
    We gave him the Strength to breathe deep and Soar High
  • The Miracle of Family
  • A Pelvic Health Story – Poonkulali Suresh
    Pelvic Health
  • Marie Wolfe
    An Unexpected Blessing
  • Eddie and Amy Powers
    A Mother's Gift
  • Bryana Hipkins
    Blessed Through Giving

The Miracle of Family

By Jessica Wall

Michael and Amy Gaines of Darlington longed for a family. After five long years of struggling to conceive, the couple learned that they were pregnant.

Ecstatic and overjoyed, Michael and Amy spent the next nine months preparing to bring their daughter, Isabella, into the world.

Amy experienced a healthy pregnancy and underwent routine weekly appointments with her obstetrician as she neared the end of her pregnancy. She and Michael grew anxious with anticipation over meeting their daughter face-to-face.

“At 38 weeks, we went to my doctor’s appointment, and that was the moment our lives changed forever,” recalls Amy. “The doctor could not find a heartbeat. “We lost Isabella on January 22, 2014 due to an umbilical cord accident. She was stillborn.”

Completely devastated, Michael and Amy describe the next few hours, days, weeks and months as excruciatingly painful.

“I hope to never feel this kind of hurt again,” explains Michael. “It’s a hurt you never truly get over. It hurts still today.”

“In the days and months after we lost our sweet Isabella, just breathing was a struggle,” recalls Amy. “Every breath I took was one she never had a chance to take. My heart and arms ached for her, and still do.”

Several months later, Amy learned that she was pregnant again. Sadly, at seven weeks gestation, Amy began experiencing complications on Christmas Eve and miscarried on December 31, 2014.

“Amy and I discussed the possibility of another loss in an attempt to prepare ourselves, but the miscarriage still hurt a great deal,” says Michael.

“2014 was a terrible year for us, and I could not wait to get past it,” states Amy.

The couple tried to conceive for another year and ultimately decided to begin the adoption process in December 2015.

One month later, on January 16, 2016, Amy discovered she was pregnant.

“I felt like it was a sign from Isabella – her birthday gift to us,” says Amy.

Due on September 22, Amy and Michael decided to proceed with adoption since they were told an adoption match could take up to two years. They had also discussed this option while trying to conceive the first time.

“Over the next several months, Michael and I joked about adopting and having babies close together, and God gave us exactly what we asked for,” says Amy.

On August 16, they received a call confirming a match with a full-term mother, due on August 28, Amy’s birthday.

Initially, the couple could not make sense of adopting a baby within a few weeks of having their own. As they talked it over, however, they both felt an overwhelming sense of this being the right moment to adopt.

On September 1, 2016, they received a call to come to the hospital. Upon their arrival, they met the birth mother and their precious daughter, Kennedy Reid.

“Words cannot describe the moment I first held Kennedy,” recalls Michael. “I simply remember looking at her and thinking, ‘she is mine.’ It was love at first sight.”

The next three weeks stirred many emotions for Michael and Amy – from absolute delight over their newborn to concern over delivering a happy, healthy baby.

Amy recalls tender moments of comforting Kennedy when she would cry and feeling her unborn baby squirm inside her belly.

On September 14, just thirteen days after the birth of Kennedy, Michael and Amy arrived at McLeod Regional Medical Center to deliver their second daughter, Lillie Mae.

“Because of our previous losses, Michael and I tried to remain positive, but could not help feeling nervous and concerned,” says Amy.

“Several staff members who were involved in my care knew our story,” she continues. “They empathized with me and showed so much understanding and compassion throughout the entire process.”

Being away from Kennedy also added another element of anxiety for the couple. The week before, Michael learned that the hospital policy did not allow children to stay overnight, so he and Amy made arrangements for Kennedy to stay with Michael’s sister. However, the two did not want to be separated from her so soon after her birth.

Once they were at the hospital, Michael and Amy shared with a few staff members that they had just adopted a newborn thirteen days ago.

As they prepared to enter the operating room for the C-section, they learned that the Women’s Services department was granting special permission for Kennedy to stay with them during their hospital stay.

The news immediately eased their minds and allowed them to focus on the next few moments when they held Lillie in their arms for the first time.

“The first time I held her, an overwhelming peace came over me. We immediately fell in love with her,” says Amy. Soon after, the family of four were in a room together.

“It meant the world to us that the hospital staff allowed us to stay together,” explains Amy. “After all the struggle, worry, and loss, we finally made it. We were a family.”

Committed to family-centered care, McLeod Women’s Services emphasizes the importance of allowing families to stay together during the entire birthing experience – from birth to recovery – making patients feel more ‘at home’ and creating an environment in which the family can bond.

This practice, commonly referred to as rooming-in, enables families to be active participants in the care of their new baby and take part in every special moment from the beginning.

Bonding occurs in several ways, including skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding.

During skin-to-skin, the baby (bare skin) is placed onto the mother’s – and father’s – bare chest. Skin-to-skin begins as soon after birth as possible and offers many benefits to both mother and baby, such as promoting a special and loving bond with the baby, calming the baby so she cries less, as well as controlling the baby’s body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, and blood sugar levels.

Amy also received support from a Board Certified Lactation Consultant to breastfeed both Kennedy and Lillie together.

“The entire experience helped us bond as a family,” says Amy. “It was critical to me and Michael that we establish an early bond with both of our girls.

“We cannot thank the hospital staff enough for allowing us to stay together as a family,” she continues. “The compassionate, quality care made the difference for us.”

Three days later, Michael and Amy took their new family home.

“We finally felt complete,” says Michael. Since that day, the Gaines family has treasured every moment – big and small – creating memories to last a lifetime.

One of Michael’s favorite memories thus far was Halloween, when he and Amy dressed as farmers while Kennedy and Lillie were dressed as two “peas in a pod” for their church’s trunk-or-treat.

“This past Christmas also held special meaning for us,” recalled Amy. “We had such hopes when we lost both our daughter Isabella and our second pregnancy, and then to celebrate a few years later with two children filled us with overwhelming joy.”

As Kennedy and Lillie approach their first birthday, they spend their days laughing and playing together, enjoying a bond so few siblings have the opportunity to experience.

“We think back to how our story unfolded, and although there were many difficult moments, we could not be happier to have our two beautiful daughters,” adds Amy.