Feature Series
On Angel's Wings
Pam Windsor ’78 shares the story behind the Health Professions Building’s Gabriel’s Gift Labor and Delivery Suite
On Oct. 24, 2019, Pam Windsor’s first biological grandchild, Gabriel, was born. He weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces and was 21 inches long.
It was a stillbirth.
“A few days before his due date, my son and daughter-in-law had an obstetrics appointment,” Windsor recalls. “Afterward my son called to say Gabriel’s heartbeat had stopped. And they had no idea why.”
I remember the unbelievably compassionate care from the nurses throughout Jessica’s stay in the hospital.
Pam Windsor
The next day doctors induced labor, and Gabriel arrived without ever taking a breath. The family was devastated.
“He had such a sweet little face,” Windsor says with a smile in her voice.
The only uplifting thing from that time was the care her daughter-in-law Jessica received.
“I remember the unbelievably compassionate care from the nurses throughout Jessica’s stay in the hospital,” Windsor says. “I was very impressed.”
A Lasting Legacy
She struggled to make sense of Gabriel’s death but knew she wanted to do something to make sure he wasn’t forgotten.
“When I was younger, people didn’t always name stillborn babies,” Windsor says. “Sometimes people wouldn’t even count them among their children. It made me very sad. I wanted to do something that would let Gabriel’s memory live forever.”
Windsor’s nursing scholarship—On Angel’s Wings—came about through her Osher Lifelong Learning Institute connections.
A former Osher board chair, she knew Kathleen Hider, then TU’s director of planned giving, from the institute’s development efforts. Hider introduced Windsor to Linda Roush, senior director of development, and Lisa Plowfield, the dean of the College of Health Professions. Plowfield, a nurse, was “extremely empathetic” to Windsor’s experiences.
“When I was thinking about that scholarship, at first I didn’t know which of my connections to Towson to honor (Windsor graduated with a mass communication degree),” she says. “But thinking about the labor and delivery nurses who cared for Jessica, who is also a nurse, made the choice clear.”
I am very pleased to know Gabriel’s memory is helping others achieve their goals and reach for their dreams,
Pam Windsor
She gives each recipient of Gabriel’s scholarship a small pair of feathered angel wings and asks them to pay Gabriel’s gift forward by striving to provide the same levelof care and attention to their patients as Jessica received. Windsor keeps in touch with the scholarship winners and is very happy to talk with them about her grandson.
When the opportunity came to name the labor & delivery suite in Gabriel’s honor,
Windsor didn’t hesitate. While she was unable to attend the official building opening,
her son Brian and his wife, Jessica (pictured above), were thrilled by the space.
“They said it exceeded all their expectations,” Windsor says. “They were just enthralled.”
She sees her named space as a way to honor the nurses who helped her family at
the time of Gabriel’s birth, provide inspiration to nursing students and publicly
acknowledge the grief that many families have experienced and help them heal.
“I am very pleased to know Gabriel’s memory is helping others achieve their goals and reach for their dreams,” Windsor says.
More on the New Health Professions Building
Learn about the ins and outs of Towson University’s new Health Professions Building, from the ground-floor classrooms to the terraced roof gardens and all the state-of-the-art experiential learning areas in between.
Building the Future of Health Care
The new Health Professions Building’s cutting-edge technology and collaborative learning spaces make it a leading center for interprofessional health and wellness education.
A Conversation with Dean Lisa Plowfield, Ph.D., RN
The dean of the College of Health Professions talks about the new building, its design and what effects it will have on the students, faculty and staff who spend their days there.
An Evolution of Excellence
Karen Keady ’87 reflects on her nursing career and shares her thoughts on some of the Health Professions Building’s cutting-edge technologies.
Tags: College of Health Professions, TU Magazine Featured Article