A woman gave birth in the back of a tractor-trailer-turned-makeshift-hospital following the hurricane in North Carolina earlier this month.
25-year-old Keyana McIntyre went into labor on September 21st, while most of the roads in her rural town of Currie were still flooded and impassable from the recent hurricane. She says she initially went to a nearby hospital but was turned away and told it was closed.
“I went to the hospital near our house in Pender County and it was closed. They told me to go to the Family Dollar parking lot,” she said.
“It was really scary. By the time I got there, I could feel the head.”
McIntyre soon made it to the parking lot where she was greeted by medical staff running a fully-functioning mobile hospital, called MED-1, complete with a semi truck outfitted to function as an operating and hospital room, reported People.
“I could feel the baby’s head. Keyana was completely dilated. I knew there was no way we could safely transport her. At that point we said, ’Okay, were gonna deliver her here,’” says Dr. Godfrey.
Keyana then delivered her healthy baby girl before the OBGYN could even arrive, all inside the customized semi truck.
“It was extremely gratifying. Delivering a baby in MED-1 is kind of like you always prepare for it and say wouldn’t it be cool… and to actually do it and help somebody through it and work together as a team and have such a good outcome – it’s probably the greatest moment of my career so far…. Actually, it’s just the greatest moment, period,” Godfrey said.
McIntyre, who initially planned to name her baby girl “Avah Jade,” decided something commemorating her unique entrance to the world would be more appropriate, and opted instead for the middle name of “Storm.”
“When she’s older, I’ll tell her the whole story. Since she came during the storm, there’s a lot more meaning, there’s a pretty good story behind her name,” says McIntyre.
“I’ve been thinking about them ever since I gave birth and I wanted to tell them thank you again,” she says. “They took care of us. Because of them I had a safe birth.”
N.C. Mom Gives Birth in Tractor-Trailer-Turned Hospital After Hurricane — and Chooses Best Baby Name https://t.co/m3oQK79mn1
— People (@people) September 25, 2018
