Last week at the hospital…

Someone died who wasn’t supposed to die.  Let me explain…We have patients in the hospital in various situations.  Some come in with a straightforward problem; we diagnose it, treat it, and they go home.  Others come in after a long duration of illness, and our job is to prepare that individual and their family for what comes next, and sometimes that is death.   And sometimes, that ends up being precisely what they need.   

This situation was not so straightforward.  This individual had a complicated medical history.  Her prognosis was not excellent, but she had been thriving before coming to the hospital.  This wasn’t a hospital visit that was meant to sort out the dying process; it was meant to improve her health status and send her on her way.   Shocking death in the hospital isn’t all that common in my experience.  When it happens, it is jarring.  It knocked me down, shook me, pained me, and made me cry.  Don’t get me wrong; all death is sad in its way.  However, when the plan is to lengthen life rather than prepare for its end, everything seems to turn upside down.   

At the risk of sounding clichéd, every day is a gift, and no moment is guaranteed.   

#HospitalLife #HealthcareStories #SuddenLoss #NoMomentGuaranteed