Behind every parking pass is a family. And behind every family is you.
Meet the Dobesh Family
Nicole, DJ, Lainey, Hayes, and big brothers at home
When Nicole went into preterm labor at 32 weeks with twins Lainey and Hayes, she fought to keep them in as long as possible, laboring for three days while receiving medication to slow her contractions and steroids to help the babies’ lungs develop. When her vitals became increasingly unstable, her doctor made the call. Lainey and Hayes were born via C-section on August 16th, just two minutes apart, and both went straight to the NICU.
Hours later, at 3am, the neonatologist walked into Nicole’s room. She could tell by the look on his face. Lainey needed emergency surgery for a rare condition called esophageal atresia with a tracheoesophageal fistula, and she was being transferred by ambulance to Comer Children’s Hospital at the University of Chicago. Nicole, still recovering from her C-section, couldn’t be there. DJ and his father made the trip to Comer while Nicole stayed behind with Hayes, who remained in the NICU at Hinsdale.
What followed was 75 days of the NICU rollercoaster. Nicole and DJ split their time between two babies at two different hospitals, all while caring for their two young boys at home and making the drive in from the suburbs. Lainey’s recovery was full of setbacks. She would come off oxygen and go back on. Her heart rate and oxygen levels kept dropping. There was talk of a feeding tube. Every good day felt hard-won, and every setback felt like starting over.
Weeks into Lainey’s stay, JCF launched its free parking program at Comer. When the Dobesh family asked about it, they were told all they had to do was ask the unit secretary for a pass. No application, no qualifying. They couldn’t believe it. For a family already stretched between two hospitals, two toddlers, and a long drive, it was one less thing to worry about during the hardest season of their lives.
Slowly, Lainey turned a corner. She got stronger, came off oxygen, and started eating on her own. After 75 days of fighting, she came home. Her brothers were waiting. Nicole says her mom heart finally feels complete.