For an expectant mom, pregnancy can be a wonderful season of anticipation. But during her pregnancy back in 2017, Stephanie’s anticipation was mixed with fear and uncertainty. Diagnosed years earlier with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an inherited mutation that thickens and overworks the heart muscle, Stephanie’s pregnancy was considered high-risk. Her doctor near her home in Valparaiso, Indiana, referred Stephanie to a maternal fetal medicine specialist at IU Health in downtown Indianapolis.
Because of the strain of the pregnancy on her heart, Stephanie had to be hospitalized in Indianapolis. When she was finally discharged, her physician told Stephanie that it was important for her to stay in Indianapolis until her baby was born. This would allow the medical team to monitor her and the baby carefully and, if need be, to respond quickly to an emergency. But with several weeks before she was due to deliver, finding a place to stay in Indianapolis presented a huge challenge.
That’s when a hospital social worker referred Stephanie to Fair Haven. She was thankful for a home away from home, just minutes from the hospital. “Had Fair Haven not helped with housing, it would have been impossible for me to come to Indianapolis,” she said. “It became part of my story of bringing my son into the world.”
Stephanie’s husband, Andy, visited on weekends, but had to continue working at his job in Valparaiso, leaving Stephanie alone during the week. Even so, when Stephanie heard that Fair Haven volunteers wanted to visit, she was hesitant. But that changed after meeting Kathy, Bonnie, and Miriam. Their regular visits brought prayer, practical help, and companionship. “The three of us—Bonnie, Kathy, and myself—talked with her, stayed with her at the hospital, and brought her things,” Miriam recalled. “Although the situation was not funny, sometimes things between us ladies got to be comical, and her husband started calling us ‘the church ladies.’”
But these weren’t just church ladies; they were life‑savers. Stephanie and Miriam in particular “just sort of clicked,” and a special friendship was born. When Stephanie unexpectedly went into labor two days before her scheduled induction, Miriam was by her side. “I stayed with her while she was in labor, and then stayed with her husband,” Miriam said. “It was wonderful to be with her when she needed my presence.”
Stephanie gave birth prematurely to a son she and her husband named Indy—a nod to both his birthplace and Andy’s childhood love of Indiana Jones. But Indy’s arrival brought a new crisis: he was born with an incomplete gastrointestinal tract, requiring immediate surgery and a prolonged stay in the NICU at Riley Hospital for Children.
“We brought him home for a month, but then scar tissue wrapped around his intestines, and he needed another surgery,” said Stephanie.
Through the uncertainty, Miriam continued her support from afar as she prayed over the phone with the family, sent care packages, and never let Stephanie feel alone. “We even went to her hometown for Indy’s first birthday,” Miriam added.
Just a year later, Stephanie experienced another heart crisis: an aortic dissection that required emergency open‑heart surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Surgeons implanted an artificial valve, shaved down part of her heart, and Stephanie survived. Her defibrillator that was implanted two days after Indy’s birth remained in place to guard against sudden cardiac arrest.
Through it all, Miriam has been Stephanie’s faithful friend. “She’s a very loving gal,” Miriam said. “That little boy is the absolute love of both her and her husband’s lives. To see what the Lord has done for them…it’s beautiful.”
Last year, Stephanie and Indy returned to Indianapolis for a special reunion! They enjoyed lunch at Fair Haven with “the church ladies,” and then the group headed off for a fun afternoon together at the Children’s Museum.
Today, Stephanie sees her cardiologist just twice a year. Indy—once tiny in the NICU—is now a soccer player and Cub Scout, towering a head above his classmates and brimming with energy. “He’s a beast!” Stephanie laughs. “He’s doing amazing.”
Reflecting on her journey, Stephanie credits Fair Haven with more than housing. She shares, “Fair Haven gave me a home when I needed one most. But more than that, they gave me connection. They gave me hope. And they gave me a faithful friend.”
Volunteer
Donate