Ryan and Ashley Allen
After going through infertility treatments elsewhere, the Allen family is grateful for Research Medical Center, as it led them to adopt a baby boy.
In January, my wife and I adopted a baby boy born at Research Medical Center. Being from the Northland we had our reservations about Research, the drive, and being unfamiliar with the hospital in general. Leaving Research Medical Center we could not have been more proud that our son was born there. When speaking of the entire ordeal, we tell everyone how the amazing staff and that the facilities were second to none.
Our journey with Research Medical Center began with a phone call from Karen. My wife and I had gone through infertility at two different facilities dealing with many doctors and nurses. Karen set the bar extremely high in our opinion. After briefly speaking with her on the phone, we immediately felt she was someone we could trust. Where most nurses seemed to be numb to the emotional aspect of infertility — Karen went above and beyond. Anytime we talk of our adoption, Karen and our relationship is one of the first aspects we mention. We would not change our adoption for anything in the world; if we could have changed our infertility treatments however, we would unequivocally have chosen the clinic at Research Medical Center and worked with Karen.
After our discussions with Karen, we met with Dr. Levine, whom the birth mother mentioned many times she loved. Somewhat shocked by her high praise of her doctor we could not have known how amazing she really was. Our first meeting impressed us beyond belief; we felt the doctor was amazing and that we won the adoption lottery. When Dr. Levine spoke to the birth mother or us as adoptive parents she spoke to us as equals, not down to us. When she spoke, we truly felt that it was more than a job and she cared deeply about everyone involved. She had a confidence that put us at ease. After one quick meeting we could not have been more impressed, and then she came in on her day off for the delivery. We could probably type pages of each experience with the doctor and how great every time was, but simply put, there is not a better doctor in the world, and we truly feel that Dr. Levine was a gift.
Aside from Karen and Dr. Levine we had contact with many other people at Research Medical Center, all of whom were great. Abby the counselor was amazing. We felt she was a great resource available to us. I feel deeply bad about not being able to remember our first natal nurse, but she was from the NICU. I believe her name was Becca, and she was absolutely fantastic. Dr. Philgreen, the pediatrician, was another one who stood out. His knowledge, calmness and overall demeanor was impressive at the least.
Research Medical Center was a blessing in our life. Those involved are an integral part in our family story, a story filled with nothing but happy endings. Thank you to all the staff from the bottom of our hearts.