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"Deep down inside I felt like something wasn't normal. And it turns out it wasn't."
Kelly Plunkett speaks with her Nurse-Family Partnership nurse Kyla Pfannenstiel at Children First in Tulsa, Oklahoma about her journey to becoming her son's biggest advocate and a confident mom. With Kyla's support, Kelly overcame homelessness relating to domestic violence, and was persistent in getting her son the medical support he needed to care for his two rare disorders.
Kelly remarks that her life is very different than what it would have been without Nurse-Family Partnership. She learned from nurse Kyla that she is her child’s biggest advocate and pushed for her newborn son Benjamin to get treatment for what turned out to be a rare immune disorder. She remarks on how thankful she is to have had her own nurse that was her own medical expert.
Kelly also left an unhealthy relationship, remarking, “I can make the choice for me to stay, but I can’t make that choice for my child.” She wants other women to know there is support out there and her nurse helped her to get resources.
Kelly now has her own apartment, a great job and will soon be off public assistance. She is currently a sales consultant at a luxury automotive dealership and was one of the top three salespeople in the company for the last couple of months (only her 3rd and 4th month on the job).
Kyla Pfannenstiel , Benjamin and Kelly Plunkett
Photography by Melissa Lukenbaugh.
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