Emily Adams

3 weeks ago | stlmag.com | Emily Adams

Throughout her childhood, Amber Theisen remembers “hospital visits in pajamas with her grandmother, watching cartoons in patient rooms, and listening in while her family helped parents over the phone.” Now, as a student registered nurse anesthetist at Goldfarb School of Nursing, those memories serve as the foundation for her life’s ambitions–and her close bond with her family as an adult.

3 weeks ago | stlmag.com | Emily Adams

When the Henderson family drew up plans for its Lava Island franchise, they knew it had to offer everything caregivers love about indoor playgrounds: screen-free active play that wears kids out for bedtime in a fun, vibrant environment. What makes the “largest indoor themed playground” unique, however, is that the structure accommodates children—and their adults. “We’re really intentional about creating a space where families can play together,” says vice president of marketing Alexa Hubbard.

3 weeks ago | stlmag.com | Emily Adams

After an EF-3 tornado struck St. Louis on May 16, Cheryl Hebron—known as “Mama Cheryl” to many—checked on seniors first. The founder of Dutchtown-based food-share nonprofit Building Villages, Hebron found that many of the senior living facilities she visited were without power. (Some still don’t have it, she says.) Without elevator access, the nonprofit needed volunteers to help trek food up the staircase.

4 weeks ago | stlmag.com | Emily Adams

Just days into her new job, Margaret Baum saw Missouri once again take away access to the care she’s dedicated her career—and purpose—to providing. Baum practiced for 20 years in St. Louis as an OBGYN before landing in the multidimensional role of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers’ chief medical officer this week. In Baum’s first week in her new position, the Missouri Supreme Court ordered a judge to lift the two rulings she put in place this year that allowed abortion clinics to open for service.

4 weeks ago | stlmag.com | Emily Adams

Liz Deken’s Richmond Heights house is a Century home. It has three stories, a double lot that allows for a two-car driveway, a playground across the street, and a peacefully shaded deck that wraps around two sides. Inside, the main-floor laundry made the mom of two swoon when she saw it, and the original brick fireplaces—well, they don’t work, but they’re beautiful, Deken says. “It was just a really perfect blend of historic with some new updates that made it feel modern and comfortable,” she says.