Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2007. That evening we took Mattie to Brookside Gardens in Maryland to see a Christmas light display. Brookside Gardens does a magical job, because you park your car and then walk through all the gardens that are decked out in lights, animated lights, and you name it. I had never seen anything like it before and I still remember how special that night was even today, 8 years later!!! After walking through the gardens, we came inside for cookies and hot chocolate (well Mattie did not drink the hot chocolate naturally since he HATED anything chocolate), and Mattie posed with the Garden's wonderful bronze frog statue!
Quote of the day: If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today. ~ E. Joseph Cossman
Whenever I see this quote I literally laugh! I laugh because I don't have to struggle too hard to imagine what I was thinking about a year ago today! Mattie is always on my mind, trying to survive his loss is always there, and I would have to say worrying about getting very ill is pervasive. Most people my age do not worry about some of the things that weigh heavily on my mind.
Today I went to Georgetown University Hospital to support my friend who was having surgery and her family. There is something about returning to Georgetown and having to go through a procedure that puts me on heightened alert. Though I wasn't the one undergoing the surgery, guess who was checking in with me by text message? If my faithful readers guessed Linda (Mattie's child life specialist), you guessed correctly. Linda was brought into my life through Mattie, but now she is a crucial part of our lives. Going through anything that I perceive as a medical crisis, must involve Linda. She became that important to all three of us (Mattie, Peter, and me).
While I was outside the surgery center today, who did I bump into? But Mattie's first anesthesiologist at the hospital. The doctor who oversaw his broviac catheter placement. Peter and I happened to LOVE this doctor and when she saw me, she recognized me. She did not know that Mattie died however, so we talked about that, she told me she was leaving the hospital to go to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and then she hugged me several times. A real love.
Naturally I can't seem to get through a procedure, even while supporting my friend, without getting aggravated at a medical resident! From my experience in the hospital with Mattie, I learned that you want to move right to an attending physician. In fact, on November 18th when I was getting surgery, I requested no residents come into my room (while conscious) and Linda made sure to that. They have a way of setting me off. As an educator I greatly believe in the importance of training and learning, however, it is the attitude and demeanor of a majority of residents that doesn't sit well with me.
So a surgical resident came in to see my friend today and handed her scripts for medications she could take post surgery (so her husband could fill them while she was in surgery). Here is the kicker..... the resident thought my friend was having a completely different surgery and started talking to her about this other surgery and the fact that she was staying overnight. Naturally we confronted him because he was all wrong and instead of correcting his error he kept back peddling, saying this is what it said in the system and so forth. In all reality, he needed to do his homework before entering a patient's room. I get that he may be tired and on overload, but that isn't acceptable, nor was his attitude appreciated.
Fortunately Linda sent a patient advocate to see us and I told her about our encounter with this resident. Of which she promised me she would follow up with him and the head of the department! All I know is I don't approach a hospital like a normal person, I approach it probably as someone who has been living in the system and I know staying quiet and not being sharp are recipes for disaster in a hospital setting. Unfortunately in our healthcare system the person who makes the most noise, gets the most attention.
Mattie is in the fifth row, fourth from the left!
Mattie and Peter are dead center.... third row, and third from the left!
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