A long time resident of Portage, Mary Martinez took the lessons she learned from her own mother, and it sparked a passion. She changes lives every day with her work in the hospital.
“Her success was all heart and hard work. I learned so much by watching my mom put everything into her business,” Matinez said. “I knew that hard work, strength, and determination paid off.”
After graduating from Portage High School, Martinez took her passion for medicine and helping others to the University of Evansville. Martinez originally wanted to go into physical therapy, but that quickly changed when she joined the nursing program. While in the nursing program, her goal was to be a labor and delivery nurse; however, the summer during her junior year changed her path and she hasn’t looked back.
Martinez has been in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for the past 18 years, starting at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. She stayed for 11 years before transferring to Northwest Health - Porter to be closer to home and was there for seven years. Just like the ever-evolving field of medicine, Martinez stayed in the medical field, but she is currently a lactation nurse at Northwest Health. Regardless of what type of nurse she is, Martinez has loved her job every step of the way.
“I loved taking care of the hospital’s smallest patients,” said Martinez.
One of Martinez’s favorite memories is taking care of a baby born in February at the Chicago Hospital. The baby didn’t get to go home until December, but Martinez said that being a part of that journey is everything.
“Being in the hospital that long, you get to know the family,” said Martinez. “That’s the best part of the job – seeing a tiny baby fight, and they are tougher than people think, through their journey and going home with their family. It’s such an honor to be a part of that journey.”
The love she has for other mothers’ babies is the mother in herself. Martinez loves being a mom and spending time with them and going to their events. From her oldest, Haley, being in color guard to her youngest, Hadynn, being a cheerleader, she wants to see them and spend as much time with them as she can.
“My oldest is a member of the color guard. I love seeing her confidence out on the field when she is tossing her rifle high in the air. My youngest, she amazes me with her talent,” Martinez said. “On the weekends, you will find me at a marching band or cheer competitions.”
Outside of working at the hospital and watching her girls do what they love, she loves to travel with her family. She also enjoys going to the beach and hiking, and, with her spare time, she loves to read.