Woman Works at Hospital That Saved Her Life

Why this is here: Luana arrived at the hospital just fourteen hours after her birth, requiring immediate and continuous respiratory care from a multidisciplinary team.

Luana Machado, 23, now interns in pharmacy at the Vila Velha Maternity Hospital in Brazil, the same facility where she received care as a premature infant. Born at six months gestation in São Mateus, she was transferred to Vila Velha fourteen hours after birth due to a critical condition. She required respiratory ventilation and intensive medical attention.

Years later, Luana returned to the hospital, but this time as a pharmacy intern. Director Vanusa Guasti remembers Luana arriving in serious condition and recalls the team successfully resuscitated her during a cardiorespiratory arrest. After being discharged, Luana went to a shelter as her biological family lacked the resources to care for her.

Luci Machado de Oliveira, a shelter employee, adopted Luana and credits their connection to an immediate, unspoken bond. Luana acknowledges her adoptive mother’s crucial support, stating she wouldn’t be where she is today without her. The hospital now represents both a personal history and a professional space for Luana, though her early experiences remain part of her story.