Fourteen years ago, a day at the fair turned into a life-threatening emergency for Burbank resident Pam Baer. After stepping off a spinning ride with her daughter, she began experiencing disorienting symptoms — a drooping arm, dizziness and elevated blood pressure. Her mother, concerned by Pam’s appearance, urged immediate medical attention. Paramedics quickly transported her to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with a hemorrhagic stroke.

What followed was an intense journey through the medical center’s emergency department and ICU. Pam was placed in a medically induced coma to manage the bleeding between the hemispheres of her brain. She remained in the hospital for 60 days — a period her husband, Chris, recalls vividly. “I slept in a recliner by her bed every night. The nurses let me stay, which meant the world to us.”

Pam’s recovery was nothing short of miraculous. “Every year, I keep getting better,” she says. “The care I received gave me my life back.” That care, the Baers believe, was made possible by the swift action of the caregivers and the support of a hospital equipped to meet critical needs. In a beautiful full circle moment, Pam recently connected with Celina Barba-Simic, M.D., the emergency medicine physician who first treated her at the fairgrounds and helped get her to the hospital in time.

Since Pam’s recovery, Chris and Pam have been deeply engaged in giving back. Chris, a commercial real estate professional born at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, served as chair of the Foundation’s Real Estate Committee during the Minutes Matter Emergency Services campaign. Pam and Chris also support the medical center philanthropically, with a special focus on neurological care. For them, giving back is both personal and purposeful.

“We’re all just one moment away from needing a place like Saint Joe’s,” Chris says. “That’s why it’s so important to make sure the hospital has everything it needs — to help the next family who walks through its doors.”

Their story is a testament to the power of moments — how a single event can deepen one’s connection to a place, a mission and a purpose. And for the Baers, Providence Saint Joseph will always be part of their story.

“It’s not just a hospital,” Pam says softly. “It’s where our lives were given back to us.”