Childbirth left a Missouri mother paralyzed. Childcare access helped her heal

By: Anna Spoerre

Outlets: Missouri Independent

Published: June 22, 2026

Words: 1,589

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 1 day ago

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The birth of Danielle Stewart’s daughter thrust her into advocacy. She tells the story often.

“Imagine walking into a hospital to have your first child,” Stewart said. “And leaving on a stretcher alone, paralyzed from your waist down.”

Stewart says a failed epidural left her paralyzed from the waist down — a claim at the center of a lawsuit she later filed against the hospital, which ended in a settlement. She had to learn to …

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