Who Gets Thanked?

It's wonderful, especially during the Christmas season, that we take time to thank those who help us. Policemen, firemen, all those serving in the Armed Forces now and in the past deserve our thanks for their service.  It's good to see those in uniform, say, in airports, or shopping centers, get stopped by someone who simply says, "Thanks for your service!"

Yet there are those we never see, the hospital emergency room workers and the ambulance drivers.  We expect them to be awake and ready for us, should we need them, at every hour of the day and night.  We count on them to be knowledgeable, experienced, their closets well stocked, and available in all weather.  We hope they'll take our insurance (if we have any) and hope we won't have to wait long.

Of emergency rooms, I'm way too familiar!!  When my children were growing up, we made periodic trips to the Danville (Kentucky) hospital to get them stitched up due to accidents, and for emergency breathing treatments for my daughter who had asthma. All y'all youngsters (under 50?) don't remember that years ago, there were no inhalers for those who had breathing problems.  A person with severe breathing problems had to get treated at the emergency room every time.  I went to the E.R. for myself for the first time when I started into labor with my youngest child, daughter #8, Jeannie.  I had passed out, bashed my forehead and had to get treated.

As a matter of fact, when I had to be prepared to support my children, the first thing I thought of when going back to college was 'nursing.'  I had made so many trips to the emergency room I thought nursing looked easy.  I thought, "I can do that!"

Of course, nursing school was a rude awakening.  It was very, very hard to learn all we had to learn.  When I talked to the nursing school admissions coordinator, I noticed there was no space for a subject to 'Minor' in.  All Majors had minors, except nursing.  The counselor laughed and informed me, "There are no minors in nursing."  Later, I found out why: you barely have time to study all you have to in nursing.  There is absolutely no time for a minor.  I knew not a single student who attempted it.

While working as a nurse, I also had several accidents that sent me to the E.R.: one car accident, one broken arm, and one eye laceration.  I was very, very grateful for the gentle service I was given.

I also periodically worked in the hospital E.R. (Lexington, Kentucky) where I was last employed before retirement.  It was extremely busy and always full.  I'm here to tell you that E.R. staffers CARE!  We have to be business-like and efficient, but, underneath it all, we deeply want our patients to get better, in some cases, TO LIVE!  I can't tell you the number of patients who had overdosed and whose heart was racing in the '200' beat per minute range that I prayed for!  What goes on in E.R.s and I.C.U.s: we bring people back from the brink of death!!  That is no small accomplishment!

E.R.s and hospitals have to be ready for ANY EMERGENCY!  That covers all sorts of weather events, terrorism, wrecks, and now, ebola and other infectious diseases' epidemics.  You can't imagine all the continual training that takes place!  You must love to study to work as a medical professional these days!

We should never take this level of preparedness for granted.  It does not take place in the rest of the world.  Example: several weeks ago, a friend of mine had a relative vacationing on a Caribbean island.  The young lady was involved in a horrible car wreck.  Her husband flagged down a passing car to take her to the nearest hospital.  He said that he "saw bugs crawling around on the walls of the operating room."  The American Embassy called them (he has no idea how they knew about either them being there or about the wreck) and advised, "Do not accept a blood transfusion.  They don't screen the blood here." The young woman had to be airlifted to Florida.  This was a really big deal.  So far, she is alive!  (Note to self: don't travel to a country in which you wouldn't want to be treated in their E.R.s!)

Once, while visiting my brother and sister-in-law in Ireland, I ended up in the Emergency Room of the Royal Medical College Hospital.  It was twice as large as the hospital in which I worked in the U.S.  Yet I got extremely good care.  I hope it's that good in the rest of Europe!

In addition to the physicians, nurses, and nurse aides, there are EMTs, nurse practitioners, physicians' assistants, radiology and respiratory techs, and also the therapists.  We can't forget the clerks, custodians, social workers and supervisors.

So, hmmmmm, how can I personally thank them this Christmas?  I think I'll make tons of cookies and ask my daughter #2, Carole, when she's working during Christmas week (in Pediatric I.C.U.).  I'll give her enough for her unit plus some for the E.R.

Lord, sometimes I think how romantic and simpler it would be to have lived several hundred years ago.  Then you bring me back to reality with the thought, "I wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for all the wonderful medical care I've enjoyed my whole life!  Thank You, God, for having me live in 2014!