Blocked roads and a snow-covered car just motivated the mom to find creative transportation.
Five-year-old Jessica Meier was scheduled for surgery Wednesday at Children's Memorial Hospital. Fluid build-up near her middle ear had started to cause hearing loss.
"We had a procedure done to put in tubes and take out adenoids so she'll be able to hear again," said Karen Meier, Jessica's mother.
When Karen Meier woke up Wednesday morning to find her Roscoe Village block snowed in, rather than miss the appointment and delay her daughter's recovery, she decided to use some ingenuity and make good use of a snow day.
"There was a four-foot snow drift in front of our garage," Meier said, "so we took out the sled and took her on the sled for two blocks and got her on the el for two stops and walked the rest of the way."
Jessica's surgeon says he has seen a number of patients take extra measures to beat this storm.
"I've had patients coming to spend the night in hotels, so I felt it was worth my getting here to help them out and get them fixed up," said Dr. Mark Gerber.
Jessica's mom says she doesn't think sledding to the hospital is such a big deal.
"The els were working fine, and this is Chicago so you just keep going," she said.
Jessica is still a little groggy. But we are told that with a little rest she should be back to normal Thursday. She might even be up for a ride on her sled!
