Sometimes it just takes a moment to change someone’s life. That’s what Maria Rush understands as a nurse advocating for mothers and babies in Cleveland, Ohio. Maria has a superhero-sized calling, born from a near-death experience during childbirth at the age of fifteen. She’s dedicated her life to saving mothers and their babies just like the nurse who took a moment to see what Maria truly needed on that delivery room table, and to speak life-giving, literally life-saving words.

America has one of the highest mortality rates for mothers and babies among developed nations. The infant mortality rate more than doubles for Black babies, and Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy related cause than White women. These statistics are on the mind of Maria Rush every morning as she goes to work for the Nurse-Family Partnership, a nation-wide program that helps first-time moms have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies, become knowledgeable and nurturing parents, achieve education and employment goals and provide their children with the best possible start in life.

Join us for a powerful conversation on motherhood, breaking generational cycles, and the importance of community in caring for our children and families.

Find episode transcript, links and more about Maria Rush at HopeIsMyMiddleName.com

Listen next to An American Dream to End Hunger with Ron Pringle on Hope Is My Middle Name season 2, episode 2.

Hosted and executive produced by Kate Tucker, Hope Is My Middle Name is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media in collaboration with Reasonable Volume.

If you like the show, please follow us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and leave us a 5-star rating and review. It makes a big difference in helping us reach more people with more HOPE.

Thank you, thank you for listening!