It was about 3 years ago, that we lost a patient suffering from pulmonary embolism in the Cardiac OR. This patient was not only a fellow skier, but also a fellow German. The same night, another skier arrived in the cath lab , after suffering from cardiac arrest at the bottom of a ski hill.He was also from Germany and I was told , that he did not speak any English.
Next day , I went to see him , just in case he needed some one to phone his family.
It was deemed , that he needed coronary artery bypass grafting and I helped the surgeon to obtain consent. I stayed on, to explain in more detail, what would happen during the operation.
After his surgery was scheduled, I promised to attend him in the OR , to alleviate his fears.
During his recovery I made sure to visit him , every day . German newspapers, the odd piece of cake and later some real good cup of coffee, where little treats I brought to brighten his day.
We talked a lot and decided to stay in contact , even after , his surgeon released him to go back home to Germany.
Colourful postcards started arriving with news of his remarkable recovery from all over Germany .With it , his wish to meet during one my frequent visits in Germany.
After some long deliberation I agreed and I am thankful I did. He told me , how profoundly his meeting me during his touch with death had changed his life. After receiving all the encouragement from a stranger like me, he decided to change his life. He became less selfish and shared his good fortunes with less fortunate people. He reconciled with his family. He changed for a healthy lifestyle , quit smoking and started to eat healthier.
He believed in kindness again!
Sadly, he passed away in his sleep, 2 years after his first arrest, only 67 years old.
Meeting him, gave me the incredible opportunity to see first hand what impact my long hours of work in the cardiac OR can have. I cherish every conversation I had with this patient and it made me appreciate how truly wonderful it is to work as a nurse.
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