Hope Just Walked into the Room
By Gene Shimandle
Yesterday, I knew I was going to have a very full day. I didn't realize how full it would be. I had scheduled an early morning CPR and first aid training session for a Cleveland city school's staff, followed immediately by my VAD team checkup, my Defibrillator/pacemaker (ICD) check, EKG, blood work testing and a meeting with my heart transplant team managers. After a wonderful program teaching resuscitation skills to an amazing group of teachers, Sister Mary stopped me from packing up the manikins with a story of her lifesaving experience since my last training with this staff. Honestly, I had a difficult time understanding her soft-spoken African/English. But her words were not the important component of her message. She conveyed the message that I have emphasized over the last thirty years of the miracle that CPR truly is. Sister Mary was beaming. She had saved a life.
It was a four minute drive to the Cleveland Clinic's parking lot, I smiled all the way. I was a few minutes late for my appointment and rushed to the receptionist's desk. I hate being late. The CCF LVAD team runs a tight schedule and I had not made it easier. While waiting in the lobby, I recognized many of the heart failure staff. Some of them stopped by to say hello. One of them saw me, and bee-lined toward me, and said, "you look marvelous. I haven't seen you since the transplant and I heard you were here".
It has been a year since my implant and the change for me has been profound. She continued. "I have a patient right now who is in need of a VAD and is having a difficult time with the decision. Do you, would you have time to talk with him". She wrote his room number and said, "It would be great if you could stop by to say hello".
My VAD check up went flawlessly, as did the rest of the testing throughout the afternoon. At 6 pm. the last Dr. had delayed leaving so that he could take time for my very tardy appearance for the ICD check. At this hour heading home was a tiring thought. Traffic would be snarled and the trip home two hours instead of the normal 50 minutes.