Mary Prochaska is a woman with a big heart and a strong spirit. She has been refined in the fires of testing, and she has come out shining like gold.

Her father died when she was nine years old, and Mary was sent to boarding school, alone, to help ease her mother's burden of caregiving. Years later, Mary was "out on the town," ballroom dancing, and she met a young man who swept her heart away. Four months later they were married. But during World War II, he was drafted into the military, and Mary was on her own again. She found a community of other military wives she could talk and cry with, and together they endured.

Mary now brings a sense of calm endurance to the residents and staff she interacts with at Providence Rehabilitation of Downers Grove. Perhaps her early experiences of patience and hope are what make her the perfect Cubs fan today!