Ruben Rodriguez, 55, was splitting wood on Dec. 30, 2009, only moments before he began experiencing a severe headache, shaky balance and red eyes. A quick Internet search of these symptoms prompted Ruben to believe he was having a stroke. He got in his car and drove from his Pelham home to Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

When Theresa and Jeff found out Theresa was pregnant in July 2008, they decided they wanted to take a less medical approach to pregnancy and opted for what they hoped would be a more personal, supportive experience. They sought out midwives and chose to have Theresa's prenatal care provided by Cooley Dickinson's Center for Midwifery Care.

When Samantha Rohan learned she was pregnant and chose the Cooley Dickinson Center for Midwifery Care, this is what she was thinking: "I wasn't sick. I was just pregnant, so I didn't need to see a doctor."

As a patient at Cooley Dickinson's Center for Midwifery Care, all went according to plan for Nunia Mafi during her first pregnancy. That is, until June 1, three days after her due date, when she woke up in labor, and a routine internal exam didn't feel to Midwife Judie Brock the way it had just a week before.

It's a short walk from the Cooley Dickinson Center for Midwifery Care to the main hospital and its Childbirth Center – unless, of course, you're a woman in labor and ready to give birth.

First Infant Born in Cooley Dickinson Hospital Birthing Tub Becky Jacobsen of West Springfield became the first expectant mother to deliver her infant in Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s Childbirth Center’s new birthing tub on Feb 7, 2010.

Sharon Feeney with Gynecologist Tucker Kueny, MDSharon Feeney of Greenfield had a total hysterectomy in October 2009, and she's still thrilled at how petite the scars are. "It's not like I would show my scars to people," she says. "But I'm extremely glad that there is so little to show."

Armand "Buddy" Duseau (seated)
with Dr. George R. Bowers

Armand "Buddy" Duseau, Jr.'s battle with a deadly form of cancer began in April 2007, back when Buddy thought his biggest health concern was a bad knee. At this time, Buddy and his wife, Nancy, learned that instead of recovering from joint replacement surgery, Buddy would be fighting for his life.

Release from 20 years of chronic back pain

Five hours with a physical therapist from Cooley Dickinson Hospital gives Easthampton man the tools he needs to stay pain free

Robert "Bob" Kies (right) with Physical Therapist Joann BernsFor 20 years, Robert "Bob" Kies of Easthampton lived with chronic pain in his lower back.

Alan Levitz was very pleased with the care his father, Dr. Edward Levitz, received from Dr. George Hartnell.Dr. George Hartnell holds the lives of many people in his capable hands.

In his specialty of Vascular and Special Interventions, Dr. Hartnell examines the most fragile but intensely life-sustaining structures of his patients' anatomies – their arteries.