Children's Memorial celebrates 130 years at DePaul

Throughout the 24 years of her life, Maggie Williamson approximately spent 2.7 years of her time in the Children’s Memorial Hospital (CMH). Her diagnosis of Cystic Fibrosis at 13-months of age caused her to spend this amount of time being treated at CMH where she was instantly welcomed into the community.

“[Children’s Memorial Hospital] wasn’t just there to take care of the physical, but also all of the emotional,” Williamson said, a graduate of DePaul University.

Williamson was one of the four panel members at the 130-year celebration held at DePaul’s Student Center on April 24. The celebration was held to celebrate CMH’s location in Lincoln Park, and the new move to Downtown Chicago in June. The panel spoke highly of the community at CMH by recognizing the employees, patients, supporters, donors, founders and the relationship CMH has with the university.

“We couldn’t be the institution we are without the marvelous community around us,” Susan Hayes Gordon said, Chief Government and Community Relations Officer at CMH.

Julia Foster Porter founded CMH in May, 1882. She created an 8-bed cottage on the corner of Halsted-Belden, and was the first hospital dedicated to the care of children and pediatrics. The hospital relocated in 1884 to Fullerton Ave, and has been located there ever since. For the past 130 years, CMH has created more buildings in Lincoln Park and has cared for more and more patients each year.

“[The new hospital] will be a wonderful facility, but we will miss Lincoln Park very much,” Stanford T. Shulman said, Chief of Division of Infectious Diseases at CMH.

Plus, being closely located to DPU has benefited patients such as Williamson when picking out a university to attend. Williamson felt safe around LPC after being around the area numerous times in her life. She told the audience that she felt comfortable being at a university close to the hospital, and her parents felt safer with CMH being right at her reach. After being a patient for many years, Williamson is currently employed with CMH.

“I just couldn’t leave,” Williamson said, “I’ve always wanted to give back."