The hospital staff was freaking out. To be expected, when confronted with a 42 year old pregnant woman with pre-eclampsia, a complication that causes high blood pressure and signs of organ damage. A woman not nearly far enough into her tenth pregnancy, the first nine ending in miscarriages.

The family history didn’t offer much hope – her own mother had died of an aneurysm shortly after giving birth, at 42. This was a tough situation, for everyone involved. Yet with a lot of medical help, and some say divine intervention, the baby was born and the new mom, though unconscious for days, survived.

Savannah Ames is the Miracle Child, according to mom and dad. Weighing only 2.2 pounds at birth, she spent her first ten weeks in a NICU, discharged home two days after her original due date. Now 23, she still lives in that same home, with her parents, in Old Town.

As a child Savannah was “a little angsty.” She spent a lot of time outside. “ I was often at Wild Bear or at camp.” Her church, Calvary Chapel, was “a big part of growing up for me, both the community and the religious influence. The church community is still my family, although I don’t necessarily participate. I still call a lot of people there uncles, aunts, and cousins, and I’m Aunt Savannah to some.”

Savannah felt there was less of an expectation for kids in Ned to go into higher education. She told her parents she wasn’t going to college. “You’re going to college!” was their collective response.

Never at the top of her class, she failed a course in high school and had to retake it: “Failing was good because I realized if I wanted to advance I needed something under my belt other than academic success, like student council, volunteering, being a part of the community.”

Into her senior year, Savannah had no idea what she wanted to do for a career. After seeking advice and researching various programs, she developed an interest in Speech Language Pathology (SLP.) There were several programs in Colorado, which meant she could go to college while living at home.

“I was panicking about money, I didn’t have any. If you want a job in SLP you need a masters degree. If I wanted an education that would extend seven years, I needed a plan.”

She came up with a good one, starting at Front Range Community College. “Front Range gets a large portion of public funding, and I got a variety of scholarships that applied to the balance of my two-year tuition. I also worked 35 to 60 hours a week with a couple of different departments at Front Range, and I did housecleaning, childcare, and petsitting.”

Savannah is a big believer in community college: “Even if college isn’t your thing, community college is really affordable. You can learn to brew beer, start a business, or check out a philosophy class.”

Now in the SLP Masters Program at CU, Savannah finishes classes in December, but her schooling won’t be done. She will complete two internships next spring - two hundred hours of treatment, evaluation, and diagnosis. Then a nine month clinical program. And finally, she’ll be a Certified Speech Language Pathologist.

Savannah comes out of college with an additional interest: Holocaust History. While an undergrad, she took a graduate level class focused on genocidal studies. Never one to miss a scholarship opportunity, she applied for and won a Post Holocaust Jewish Studies scholarship. Savannah then wrote a case study about a Holocaustdenier who was known for trying to get his ravings published in college newspapers (they were usually rejected.) She submitted her study to a CU writing competition, and she won – another $300 toward her education.

Some Nedbits about Savannah:

Favorite places: “I really like to go to Snowline Lake, there is a lot less light pollution there and I like to look at the stars. The town of Eldora. Ridge Road, watching the sun rise over the Res.”

Favorite thing about the mountains: “There is so much nature accessible. I don’t necessarily fit with the idea of mountain folk, but I’ve grown up here so I know I’m more mountainy than people in Boulder. In an ideal world I’d live in a city but have mountains nearby.”

Hopes and dreams for Ned: “I would like it to stay small-businessrun. That’s a really unique thing, even Idaho Springs has chain restaurants. I would also like to see more funding for education here.”

Savannah is money-smart, knowledge she attributes to her parents: “I could not have pursued my education or gained any kind of financial independence without my parents’ love and support. When you grow up knowing that 10% goes to the church and another 20% to savings, you become okay with not immediately having money in your hands.”

Living at home. Attending community college. Applying for every scholarship and grant out there. Working as many hours as she could. Now Savannah is close to completing her Masters, without incurring a single dollar in debt.

These days, that is a miracle all its own.

[Bella Lorena: Tu sei il mio amore. Tu sei la mia vita. Tu sei mio per sempre.]