A Thank You to Healthcare Providers!

This past month, we’ve spent a fair amount of time in the hospital. In fact, this blog is being typed from ICU on New Years Eve 2014. Some of you may have seen some of my social media post where we spent Thanksgiving 2014 in the hospital and, now also, the New Years Holiday. Lisa’s mother, Mary Lou, (aka Buddy) had emergency surgery over Thanksgiving which resulted in blood clots in her lung (pulmonary embolism) over New Years. For those familiar with pulmonary embolism’s (PE), you know that they have a high morality rate. Lisa, her brother, and now her mom have all had PE’s and survived which is definitely a blessing. Especially, when one considers the circumstances which provoked the PEs and the manner in which they are were diagnosed, you’d see God’s hand on the situations.

As I’ve sat in the hospital for a number of days over the past month, I’ve made some observations. While I’m wired to always seek opportunities for improvement, that isn’t my focus today. Today, I simply want to express my gratitude for those who serve. With high patient volumes due to this being the flu season, the ER and hospital staff have been rock stars. To put things into prospective, two evenings ago, there wasn’t a hospital bed available in the city (as we understand it). The ER was lined up with people and many patients were having to be treated in the hallways. Adding to this, as you can likely relate, we’re all a bit grumpy when we’re sick; so, it isn’t always a pleasant environment. I relate this in attempt to give you an appreciation for the high stress environment which they operate.

With all of this going on, the teams have performed exceptionally. In fact, only God knows, however, the initial ER doctor “Buddy” saw may have saved her life. Without having CT scans to confirm, she began treating for a PE based off the initial assessment. The doctor in the morning remarked that he was glad whoever made the decision they did last night did as “I’m not sure you would have survived”. He commented that the prior doctors decision wasn’t black and white without a confirmed diagnosis.

So, I could go on and on about our experience over the past month. In the mist of a time where healthcare seems to be getting a lot of attention, we are very appreciative to live in a country with so many technological advancements in medicine and healthcare providers who are truly called to their work.

Thanks for serving!