Maggie Wyczenski

Infobox character
name = Maggie Wyczenski


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first = November 16, 2000 (Episode: The Visit)
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gender = female
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spouse = Eddie Wyczenski
(ex-husband)
children = Abby Lockhart,
Eric Wyczenski
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portrayer = Sally Field
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Maggie Wyczenski is a minor recurring fictional character played by Sally Field on the NBC medical drama "ER" created by Michael Crichton. Maggie, who suffers from bipolar disorder, is the mother of Dr. Abby Lockhart. Maggie's uncontrolled mental illness had a negative impact on her ability to parent Abby and her younger brother, Eric, who is also bipolar. Abby did much of the parenting of her brother and has also taken care of Maggie herself. Abby had an abortion while married with Richard because she feared that the baby would inherit Maggie's disease. When Abby became pregnant after an encounter with Dr. Luka Kovac, she considered abortion again.

Character appearances

Maggie made her first appearance during the sixth episode of season 7. She is first found by Kerry Weaver in the doctors lounge and told her that patients are not allowed in the lounge, but Maggie replied that she was not a patient, a member of the staff is her daughter. After realizing that her mother had unexpectedly arrived to the County General Hospital, Abby first denied that Maggie was her mother, thus Kerry told Frank to call psyche. When Kerry told Maggie that Abby said she was not her mother, Maggie became really upset and began shrieking for Abby all around the ER until Abby herself appeared and calmed Maggie down. During a long time, Maggie had not being taking her drugs and Kim Legaspi told her to take some new medication and Maggie finally agrees. Later, Abby gave Maggie some money so that she could go home but Maggie told her she had no place to go as Eric did not want to see her again. Maggie applied for a job interview in a store but did not last long and the owner wanted Maggie to be arrested after causing an accident. Back in the ER, Maggie argues again with Abby and is threatened with haldol. After being examined by Dr. Legaspi again, Maggie ran away.

Several months later, Richard told Abby that Maggie is held up in a motel room in Oklahoma and gives Abby a phone number to call her. Abby and Carter looked for Maggie and found her mother in a bad state. Abby gave her a bath and some food, and returned with her to Chicago. During the way back to Chicago, Maggie takes an entire box of sleeping pills and falls unconscious, she is rushed to the ER barely breathing and is treated by Luka, Carter and Abby. She seizes on the trama table and a devastated Abby is forced to watch. For attempting to kill herself with the pills, which she stole from a gas station, Maggie was due in court for a competency hearing, but in the end made her way out of being committed. Towards the end of the season, Maggie had had some sessions with Dr. Lesgaspi and appeared to be better off. Finally, Maggie decided to return to her original home in Minnesota.

In recent years Maggie's illness has been controlled with medication. Maggie and Abby found in each other some support after Eric's crisis. She was also responsible for saving the life of Abby and Luka's premature baby Joe, as she took control of the situation while Luka and Abby were struggling with their own problems after the rampage. Maggie, knitting beside the baby's isolette, demanded that the neonatal nurse summon a doctor when monitors began to beep. Abby thought that Joe would not make it, but it was Maggie's support that made her change her mind. When it came time for Joe to leave the hospital with his parents, Abby was reluctant to see her mother go home.

References

ee also

* Abby Lockhart