|
In December, I visited a local place for the first time—the Emergency Room at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. After attending a holiday party where the strongest thing I drank was water, I fell outside the restaurant because I missed a short, unmarked step. In doing so, I hit the back of my head on a planter. Okay, that’s the bad news. What follows is GOOD. Two guys walking down East Illinois immediately came to my aid, noticed I was bleeding and called 911. This was only the second event I had attended since joining Independent Writers of Chicago, so I really didn’t know the other attendees. Fortunately, one of the women, Kathryn, is a doctor and stayed with me until the EMTs arrived and loaded me into their ambulance. Lights, sirens and off we went. At the ER, I was transferred from the gurney to a wheelchair and taken to triage. Luckily, the cut behind my left ear wasn’t serious so I joined the crowd waiting for treatment. Kathryn was already there and stayed until my friend, Barb, arrived. After midnight I was finally taken into the treatment area where I was seen first by a physician’s assistant and then an ER doctor. It was determined the cut did not need stitches, but since I had sustained a head injury the doctor ordered a CAT scan. Yes, the results were normal, and I was discharged around 3:45 am.
It's likely that at a Level One Trauma Center, the ER is always busy. It was about eight hours from the time I arrived until I was free to go. No one enjoys waiting, but since it means your condition isn’t as serious as the ones being treated first, I’m okay with that. Throughout this whole experience I am very grateful for the strangers, friends, first responders and the hospital staff who all treated me with concern and professionalism. It was as good as a bad experience can be and a reminder that kindness is a super power we all possess if we choose to use it.
|
