Dear Citizens of Reedsburg,

We wish to extend our most sincere gratitude for the staff of your RAMC Birthing Center. This past spring we found ourselves faced with a challenging birth. We set about researching the best possible care for the birth we wanted for our baby. Although we live in Madison, we decided to travel to your city for prenatal care and the birth of our son. Adrian was born on October 17, 2006. We were treated with the greatest respect through a long and difficult labor that ended in a cesarean birth. The nursing staff of the birth center amazed us with their standard of care. They are consummate professionals who share their knowledge and wisdom with great compassion. They helped us to bond as a newly larger family and to care for our new baby. We were especially impressed with the support of breastfeeding. Our surgeon, Dr. James Clay, took great care of both mother and baby during the birth and was supportive and encouraging during follow-up visits. Our anesthesiologist made certain we understood everything that was happening before, during and after surgery. He answered every question and checked frequently to make certain mother was as comfortable as possible. Our midwives, Diane Bindl and Gretchen Spicer (of Avoca) were true heroes. They labored through a long night with us and offered every bit of wisdom and technique available to help bring our son into the world. They were with us through the surgery and helped to make Adrian's birth a wonderful event. Adrian was welcomed by his mother and father, his older brother and an amazing team of caring professionals. We want everyone to know just how amazing your birth center is. We were treated with a truly excellent standard of care. All women giving birth and their families should be so fortunate as we were. Our congratulations to the staff of the RAMC birth center for excellence in care of women, their babies and families.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Ruef and Adam Cain




Polly danced on the edge of forever for five days and then she stepped over. She spent her last days at our little hospital here in Reedsburg and got the kindest care possible. Polly and her husband, Herb, had come from Michigan for a week's visit with my dear friend Gail, their daughter. Polly became ill just as they were getting ready to return home and after five days in the hospital, she made her final trip home.

While there is great sadness in this story, there is no tragedy. Polly had a debilitating illness and she had danced on that edge of forever several times before. It was territory she knew well and I think she was ready for the final steps of the dance. And her family gathered to give her the perfect send-off. They were united in their wishes for her and supportive of each other in their grieving.

Her husband, her two daughters and one son, and four of her seven grandchildren spent those last days with her. They camped out in her hospital room and in the near-by lounge. They cried and laughed and told stories. They spoke with her, both when she could respond to them and when she could not. They comforted her and each other and the air around her was rich with love.

Through it all, the hospital staff were kind and accommodating. They found pillows and blankets for those who spent the night time vigil with Polly. They helped her family understand what was happening with her health and what her prognosis was. Nurses and doctors and aids all helped Polly's family make the difficult decisions they had to make for her. When Polly was moved from the ICU to a hospice room, the nurse there was gentle and patient, answering questions and honoring every concern.

When the time came for Polly's son to leave to return to his family, Polly's husband and their three children gathered around her bed to spend their last moments together as a family. Polly has loved this man and these children with all her heart. They and her grandchildren were her whole world. They stood around her and told her how much they loved her. They said their good-byes and they told her Brad was leaving. They told her she could leave, too. They wept and told her how much they would miss her, but they reassured her that they would all be fine, that her love would remain with them forever.

Polly had been unresponsive for hours, but now she opened her eyes and looked at her family. And a few minutes after Gail left to take Brad to the airport, Polly took the last step and her journey through this life ended. Polly who loved milk chocolate and the color blue and trips to the Outer Banks of North Carolina with her family was gone. She took with her the greatest gifts there are, the heartfelt love and respect of her family and friends. And she left behind a gift for each of them: an enduring love, a whole-hearted and enthusiastic love that has no end. May they find peace and comfort in all she was for them and in her love that lives on in each of them.