FORT THOMAS -- Jeanne Lester and 3-day-old son Branden were both sick and in the hospital May 10 when what she calls her "angel of mercy" arrived. A Fort Thomas couple, Amy and Terry Towles, arrived unannounced to offer what assistance they could to the new mom and her baby, who just a day before were in the intensive and special care units, respectively, at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South in Edgewood.
The Towleses are part of a program at St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church in Fort Thomas called the Elizabeth Ministry. Started last fall as a pilot program through the Diocese of Covington, the ministry reaches out to women and families going through various circumstances related to childbirth.
"Whenever a baby is born, the family needs help," said Mrs. Towles, the mother of four young children and daughter of U.S. Rep. Jim Bunning and his wife, Mary, of Southgate. Mr. Towles is a Newport police officer.
"I've known Scott since high school, and I know Jeanne from church, so when I heard she had the baby and was having some problems, we just wanted to help," Mrs. Towles said.
Mrs. Lester had hemorrhaged shortly after giving birth to Branden and nearly lost her life. And the child suffered breathing problems and spent the first day or so of his life under an oxygen tent.
"They finally brought the baby in my room, but I was so weak I couldn't really hold him," Mrs. Lester, 39, said Monday on the front porch of her Fort Thomas home, which she shares with her husband, Scott, and their two older children, Kara, 8, and Jake, 3.
"I was down, I felt terrible, I was worried about the baby; and then Amy and her husband, Terry, came in, and were just wonderful. They were my angel of mercy."
At the hospital, the Towleses changed the newborn's diapers, spent some time with Mrs. Lester, and even gave her a hug and some words of encouragement when they left.
When mother and son finally came home, the Towleses and others in the program showed up with enough food "to pack our freezer," Mrs. Lester said.
"And even though she has kids of her own, Amy picked my daughter up at school every day for a week and brought her home for me so I wouldn't have to leave the house with the baby," said Mrs. Lester, who -- like her son -- has recovered.
Interest grows
About 20 volunteers are involved at St. Catherine, said Mary Pratt, the Fort Thomas woman who administers the program with another volunteer, Paul Reinermann of Melbourne.
St. Pius in Edgewood has started a similar program, and other churches in the diocese may follow suit if they can recruit enough volunteers, Mrs. Pratt said.
"In a lot of cases, like Jeanne's, we bring food and try to help out with the little things that aren't so little once the new baby arrives," Mrs. Pratt said.
But the program, coordinated through members of the diocese's Pro Life Commission, also offers help to families going through an adoption, experiencing problems with fertility or infertility, or grieving the loss of a child.
In January, when Maryanne and Ed Gerrein, also of Fort Thomas and members of St. Catherine, lost a child in a miscarriage, Elizabeth Ministry volunteers showed up with fruit baskets and moral support, Mrs. Gerrein said.
"Not only did people bring food, but they all stayed around to talk to me and make sure I was OK," said Mrs. Gerrein, who -- with her husband -- has since joined the program.
"It really helped us get through a rough time."
Mrs. Pratt, the mother of three daughters, lost a son five years ago when he was stillborn. She feels an understanding of what families go through with the birth, or loss, of a child.
"It's amazing the power of a casserole and a prayer," she said, laughing as she stood on Mrs. Lester's porch and bounced 2-month-old Branden.
