Doctor Who Cared For Woman As Baby Inspires Her To Study Medicine

NAPERVILLE, IL — When Alyssa Noworul, of Naperville, was born at her mother’s home unexpectedly in 2004, she had no way of knowing the doctor who would care for her in the Edward

Hospital Newborn Intensive Care Unit would inspire her future career path.

Noworul had a faint heartbeat and was cold to the touch when she first got to the hospital and she was put in the care of Dr. Rajeev Dixit and registered nurse Angela Stepenson for the next four weeks, according to information from Edward Hospital.

Alyssa, now 18 years old, just began studying psychology at University of Wisconsin-Madison with the hopes of ultimately pursuing a career in medicine.

She recently told Edward-Elmhurst Health she still visits with Dr. Dixit and his family and that the doctor, who attended her graduation from Benet Academy, is her “role model.”

Noworul said, “Dr. Dixit is one of the most important people in my life. He saved my life, so everything I ultimately do is because of what he did.”

She added, “Ever since spending time with Dr. Dixit and visiting the NICU, I’ve thought about going into the medical field. Because I have such a great role model in the medical field, I decided on medical school.”

Dr. Dixit told Edward-Elmhurst Health, “The universe sometimes presents us with opportunities to interact with certain people. Alyssa is a remarkable young woman and I have been privileged to watch her thrive in every stage of her life.”