The Light at the End of the Tunnel
Having children is the greatest experience of all, according to Christopher and Cindy Hughes. They have two beautiful children of their own, Matthew, 8, and Ruth, 4, who were born at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC. Fortunately, their births were uneventful, but that didn’t forecast what was to come. The Hughes were going to face difficult times. Somehow, they persevered and after all they have been through, they still see the light at the end of the tunnel.
A couple years passed after Ruth was born and the desire for more children was stronger than ever. Chris and Cindy were ready to expand their family. Good news came and Cindy was pregnant! She was in her second trimester when the baby experienced complications.
 To the left: Cindy poses with Ruth and Matthew, both born at Magee.
The baby didn’t make it and the Hughes were devastated. They were, however, pleasantly surprised that the physicians caring for them were genuinely as upset. The excellent services at Magee provided for some degree of comfort. They were confident they had received the best care possible, which is all one can ask for when unfortunate events occur.
Time passed and they managed to heal as much as they possibly could. The Hughes decided to try to expand their family again. Cindy was pregnant. The Hughes were jubilant but at the same time hesitant being wary of the outcome.
The pregnancy was uneventful until Cindy went to her 18-week ultrasound appointment. The ultrasound showed the baby was fine, but they noticed a growth on Cindy’s ovary. She didn’t feel any pain, she just felt pregnant. Her doctors were concerned it was cancerous.
Cindy underwent surgery some time before the delivery due date. The surgery was considered a low-risk procedure and posed little to no harm to the unborn baby.
Cindy knew she would have pain after the surgery, but she was in excruciating pain post-operatively. They were scheduled to have regular fetal monitoring and ultrasounds during her post-operative recovery, but Cindy knew something wasn’t right. Unfortunately a follow-up ultrasound showed that the baby was not moving and indicated fetal demise. The tragedy continued as Cindy’s blood count was extremely low; they suspected she was bleeding internally. She needed another surgery immediately. As midnight neared, they took her back in for a second surgery to stop the bleeding.
Dr. Allen Hogge, chair of the department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Services at Magee, counseled the couple when complications arose with the previous baby. Once he heard about Cindy’s condition he immediately visited Cindy. Dr Hogge’s compassion was critical to the Hughes coping with the unforeseen events that had unfolded over the last 24 hours.
“We were absolutely devastated,” says Chris. “Cindy and I are physical therapists and understand the challenges faced in patient care. Although we lost two babies, we never felt the care we received was substandard. In fact, we wanted to continue our relationship with the hospital and felt that a bond had been established beyond a medical center providing a service. When it comes to women and infant care, Magee is simply the best.”
As time passed, Cindy and Chris dealt with their devastating losses, and wanted to turn tragedy into something that would have a positive impact. They wanted to do something in remembrance of their unborn children but weren’t sure what was the best way to show support and gratitude.
Eventually, they decided to make a donation to benefit resident training education earmarked at Magee specifically for the department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Services. They felt one way doctors will discover advances in patient care are through research and funding for training. The Hughes decided to open an additional life insurance policy with Magee as the sole beneficiary. The gift would allow for a more sizeable donation with only a modest annual premium.
“The life insurance gift afforded us with a flexible way to give,” says Chris. “We’re particular and selective with charitable donations, but giving to Magee was easy – they earned it every step of the way. Now we feel like we’re part of not only the Hughes family, but also the Magee family.”
The Hughes would like to thank all of the doctors and nurses involved in their great care including Dr. Paniti Sukumvanich, Dr. Beatrice Chen, Dr. Mitch Creinin, Dr. Allen Hogge, Dr. Robert Thomas, the nighttime nurse, Tonya, Dr. Kaufmann, and Michele Clemens.
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