CHICAGO — A woman who rescued an abandoned baby in Ukrainian Village has been honored with a "hero award."
Teresa Alvarez, a housekeeper at the Nazareth Family Center, found a baby girl outside the hospital when she arrived for work at 3 a.m. Nov. 3. Alvarez was given the Five Star Hospital Hero Award on Tuesday.
On the day Alvarez rescued the baby, she saw a jacket near a trash can; when she reached toward the jacket, it moved and she found a newborn girl inside, according to a news release from Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center, 2233 W. Division St.
Alvarez called 911 and contacted hospital security, according to the hospital. The baby girl was taken to the emergency room and was severely hypothermic. She was in good condition and was later transferred to Lurie Children's Hospital, according to the Tribune.
“Her body temperature was low. If it were not for [Alvarez's] quick actions, our physicians tell us the infant may not have lived,” said Martin Judd, the medical center's president and CEO. Alvarez's “actions and the expert care provided by our emergency department physicians made a difference. I don’t think there is a better feeling in the world to know today you helped save a life.”
The Department of Child and Family Services was not immediately available to provide an update on the baby girl.
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