Wellstar PeopleCare | Chase & the Matthews Family Care Journey

“We were scared out of our minds with our first child. We thought we were ready to go home, but when we saw her, she was so little, and we realized we didn't know what we were doing,” Deidra said. “The nursing staff and doctors were just amazing. They were supportive and caring and very instructive as well.”

“People often say, ‘Give us the manual.’ Well, there are guidelines, but there is no manual,” said Dr. Avril Beckford, Chief of Pediatrics at Wellstar. “Our excellent nursing staff educates new parents on the proper techniques for holding, swaddling and feeding the new baby, as well as prevention methods such as safe sleep.”

“Every child is different and every parent is different,” adds Dr. Beckford. “Our clinical staff does a beautiful job of meeting them where they are in their journey and supplying them with the resources they need.”

Twelve wonderful years have since passed. In that time, Chase got a brother, Canon, who was also born at Wellstar Cobb Hospital. Since then, Wellstar has always been a part of the children’s lives, especially when it comes to bumps and bruises.

“We just feel like Cobb is our family hospital,” said Bow. “We would always go to the hospital or urgent care centers and the emergency room. We wouldn’t trust the healthcare of our family with anyone else but Wellstar.”

Care that doesn't skip a beat

Wellstar was there for Bow in the middle of the night when he drove himself to the emergency room with chest pains. After being promptly diagnosed with cardiomyopathy — and by and large, congestive heart failure — the cardiology team led by Dr. Ravi Edupuganti helped Bow make decisions to save his heart and his life.

“Instead of getting a defibrillator implanted, Dr. Edupuganti gave me my options. I had to drastically improve my health through diet and exercise, which I did. He also referred me to the Congestive Heart Failure Academy which has been a tremendous help. I’m here and healthier because of these resources, Dr. Edupuganti and his team.”

Deidra gained a partner in Wellstar when it came to achieving a healthy weight. Because Wellstar had always been so close to heart, Deidra trusted her care team when she began losing weight at an unhealthy pace.

Following her first bariatric surgery with another healthcare system, she was unable to hold food down and wasn’t getting the nutrients her body needed to function. She underwent successful revision surgery with Wellstar Bariatric Surgeon Dr. Fritz Jean-Pierre, and then Deidra found new joy in hobbies that she hadn’t explored in a long time.

“I realized that there are more things to do than going out to lunch or dinner, like going skating or bowling,” Deidra said. “You just feel like you're able to do anything, like you're on top of the world because that one big rock has finally been removed.”

The Matthews family found the care they needed at Wellstar, from the tiny inconveniences, like when Deidra broke her toe, to life-changing moments, such as the birth of two children.

“We go to Wellstar Cobb Hospital because we couldn't imagine anywhere else to go. It's our family hospital,” Deidra said. “They've always been there for the most important moments in our lives. I can't imagine our life without them.”