With quick thinking, I packed Richard’s meds, a simple knitting project, both iPads, two power cords, and a water bottle before following the 1:00 am ambulance to Mayo’s emergency department at St. Mary’s Hospital. Having made this same trip with him 18 months ago, I remembered the long hours on uncomfortable chairs with a depleted phone battery, and I did not want to feel disconnected.
Unlike my sidewalk tumble a couple of weeks ago when the duration of my hospital visit was only two hours, his was in the Emergency Department (ED) for 12-hours. And, while my purple “glue job” was one and done, we were back at St. Mary’s two days later for out-patient surgery.
Despite the vastness of this world-renowned medical institution, with the thousands of staff required to keep 70 operating rooms functioning with the efficiency of high-tech assembly lines, his caregivers were attentive. They stayed with us for as long as was needed, offered thorough explanations, and provided care that never felt rushed. The staff focused on his needs at that moment so that we could be home the same day where he is healing comfortably.
Graphic credit: © Bill Klotz, Finance & Commerce, 2018.
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