Baby named after the Beacon community health worker who believed in her mom

Andrea Martinez will never forget walking into Mayra Adame’s room at Elkhart General Hospital, car seat in hand, ready to meet the newest addition to her family.

“Oh my, what a cutie. She’s so tiny,” Andrea remembers thinking as she approached the newborn in her mother’s arms in late February. At a previous visit, Mayra mentioned how they were thinking of naming their daughter Aurora.

Now, Mayra shared how they’d changed their minds. They named their baby Andrea.

“I was absolutely speechless. I literally felt like I couldn’t talk,” Andrea says. “I have always joked around with close friends and family members that they should name their babies Andrea like me, but never thought it would actually happen.”

The moment felt surreal and meaningful.

“I felt incredibly honored, and it just reminded me how strong the bond between us had grown. Her choosing my name meant more to me than I could ever really explain.”

Building trust

The bond between these two women began a year earlier, when both were navigating uncertain territory. Andrea had been working as a community health worker at Beacon Community Impact for just over a month, fresh out of college. Mayra, a mom of five, was navigating the responsibilities of parenthood with her pregnancy.

Mayra enrolled in the Family Journey program, where she met Andrea. “Since day one, I felt like someone was listening to me and my needs and not judging me,” she says.

As she went through personal challenges, Andrea showed up. She showed up to find her all the resources she needed during her pregnancy, but Andrea also showed up for Mayra in the quiet, difficult moments.

“She would call me or text, asking me how I was doing or asking if I needed any help,” Mayra says. “Andrea didn’t only do her job, but she went beyond to help me in everything, and she became my friend that I could rely on.”

Learning together

Mayra was one of Andrea’s first clients. She received her name while still learning and finding her rhythm. Andrea remembers feeling nervous, but also feeling a strong desire to be the kind of support that pregnant women like Mayra needed.

“I never want my patients to feel like I’m just someone checking boxes, asking questions, handing them resources. Yes, that’s part of the job, but it’s not why I do this. My goal with every patient is to build a relationship where they feel seen, heard and genuinely supported.

Trust came through consistency. “It can be difficult to open up to a stranger you just met, right? but over time, I’ve watched Mayra grow in so many ways.” During home visits, Mayra says Andrea became part of the family; her visits became less like appointments and more like a family gathering.

Mayra’s kids, who range in age from 18 down to her baby, now six months, have colored pictures for Andrea. Her daughter has done Andrea’s nails during visits. “I can say she won my kids’ trust and they love her. One of my sons makes jokes and always wants to be around when she’s over,” she says. “When I graduated from Ivy Tech last May, Andrea had the first picture before I even posted it on my Facebook.”

A legacy of love

What will Mayra tell her daughter someday about the woman she is named after? “I will tell my daughter that her name is after a person who helped me through my most difficult time. That Andrea Martinez didn’t only do her job, but she went beyond to help me in everything. She is named after a wonderful, kind, helpful and great person to be proud of.”

This experience has affirmed everything Andrea believes about working as a community health worker.

“It has been incredible to see how far we’ve come, not just in terms of services or check-ins, but in the relationship we built. It has been more than case coordination with Mayra. It has been a real journey together,” Andrea says.

The role of a community health worker is so much more than giving out coupons for the BABE stores and providing community resources and education to expectant moms. “It is about building trust, connection and being that additional support for our prenatal and postpartum mothers and their families,” Andrea says.

Community health workers act as a bridge between the healthcare system and the community, creating access while walking alongside people during some of their most vulnerable moments.

Andrea says the bond she has forged with Mayra reminds her daily about why this work matters. Mayra has helped shape who she is as a person.

She hopes that one day when baby Andrea is old enough to understand, that she’ll know how her name is tied to a time when her mother showed incredible strength and courage. And that she was surrounded by people who cared deeply, not just professionally, but personally.

“I hope she feels proud knowing that her name came from something real and meaningful, and that it symbolizes how much her mother was supported and seen,” Andrea says. “Most of all, I hope she grows up knowing that she was loved and celebrated from the very beginning not just by her family, but by a whole community that stood beside her mom with open hearts.”

Learn more

Our Healthy Family priority focuses on programming that improves maternal and child health outcomes, and fosters positive family relationships. Beacon Community Impact supports strong programs seeking to reduce infant mortality in our region. These programs include Beacon Health System’s internal Early Childhood Services programming alongside external non-profits and local government agencies.