Lila Brooks Fritz: Lila Brooks Fritz, Certified Nurse
Midwife Memorial Hospital.

 Well, I've been a
midwife for over 28 years. I delivered babies for 18 years. And then as I got
older, I transitioned into GYN. But I knew I wanted to be a midwife when I was
17. I didn't become a midwife until I was 40, so it took me a little while. And
then once I got my midwifery degree, my goal was to come back to my hometown
and deliver babies and give women's healthcare, and that's what I've been doing
for 28 years.

So, I actually am a Blessing Hospital graduate from 1976. And
then, I went back in 1990 to get my bachelor's degree, so I could go on to get
my master's in nurse midwifery. So, I graduated from University of Pennsylvania
in 1995. They were the first long distance program at University of
Pennsylvania. Then once I graduated in Pennsylvania, I came back to be with my
family here in Carthage, Illinois.

So, I actually had an arrangement with a family practice doc
who was very interested in getting a nurse midwife to help him in his practice.
And he was a high school friend of my dad's, so we'd known each other for a
long time. And he ended up sponsoring me before I graduated, so I could slow
down from working and get my education and come back and work with them. And it
was a wonderful, wonderful relationship.

Well, I'm a big fan of preventive care. And so I kind of joke
with my people, if you get too sick, I don't get to take care of you. And I'm
kind of the gatekeeper. So, they come in. You know, of course now from, you
know, when I was doing deliveries and prenatal care, it was a lot about healthy
diet, exercise, what kind of testing do we need to do. And if for abnormal,
then I send them to my OB-GYN that I was working with the time to handle things
that were more complex or we would maybe get them referred to fetal maternal
medicine.

Now, from GYN standpoint, it's a lot of annual exams, things
with bleeding, things with itching, things to make certain they got their
mammograms up-to-date, their colonoscopies up-to-date, their DEXA scans, their
lab work. So, I'm working with a lot of their primary care physicians on the
things that are geared for more of the female health-related issues. And I'm
always kind of talking about, you know, diet and exercise and what kind of
supplements are recommended and what kind of testing do you need done. And if
it's an abnormal test, there's a lot of things I do take care of. For instance,
abnormal Paps, I've had extra training to take care of abnormal Paps, along
with getting the normal Paps on board. So I mean, like I said, I'm very geared
for preventive healthcare and making certain they're caught up-to-date on all
the health recommendations.

 Well, I've been married
for like about 29 years now. My husband's handicapped, so I'm responsible a
little bit of his care. That's why I just work two long days a week, kind of
semi-retired. Three beautiful grandchildren that I'm very involved with on a
very regular basis. I'm from a large family. When we came back to Illinois, we
built on the family farm that's been in the family for 150 years. So, my
siblings are all living close by in our own little commune network.

I love walking. I have a dog that I have to take care of. I
have an acre vineyard that I am responsible for. I love things like snow
skiing. Pretty much most sports in general. Like I said, hanging with the
grandbabies. I do a lot of gardening and just a lot of keeping our household
together since my husband is handicapped. I'm actively involved with my church.
I don't have any dull moments in my life.

Well, I love that all of my GYN patients I take care of are
actually babies I delivered. So since I delivered for a long time, my oldest
baby is like 24. And I get to see them grow up and I watched their progress in
the local paper. And you're kind of a big fish in a little pond where people do
know you, they know your reputation. So, I love that part of my job. I've taken
care of some people for like 23 years with their annual exams. I see them every
year. If I didn't see them, I'd be worried about them. I love doing birth
control, so a lot of my younger people are needing birth control. My older
women are needing menopause, you know, advice. So, something different every
single day.