When my mother had a heart attack on a major freeway, I discovered just how difficult it is to convince a hospital desk clerk that I need a wheelchair.
Have you ever driven with a person who had a heart attack on a major freeway? I have, and it was one of the most horrifying, yet memorable experiences of my life.
It was seven years ago on a Tuesday afternoon, but I still remember it clearly. My mom and I were driving downtown on I-90 for a doctor’s appointment. Everything was routine until my mom suddenly said that she had lost the feeling in her legs and could no longer sense how much pressure she was placing on the petals of our 1998 Nissan minivan. The words to accurately describe such a situation, are adequate at best, but they can not capture the true feeling. Horrifying comes close, maybe terrifying; I’m not sure I can pick between the two.
Despite my mother’s sudden and potentially fatal condition, we did not stop or pull over to the side. My mother was sure that she was going into cardiac arrest and decided the best course of action would be to rush to the emergency room at Sacred Heart. I didn’t argue, I was twelve at the time and didn’t have any better ideas so I just prayed and hoped to God that we would both get out of the situation alive.
Somehow, my mom managed to make it to main entrance to Sacred Heart, I have no idea how she did it, but she did. As she pulled up to the entryway, she tried to open the driver’s side door, but collapsed as she tried to get out. By this point, I should have been frantic, but I wasn’t. Instead I calmly slipped out the passenger side and helped her back into the driver’s seat. It quickly became apparent to me that there was no way my mother could walk into the emergency room.
With this in mind, I ran into the lobby and up to the help desk. Sitting behind the desk was a textbook example of a hospital desk clerk. Female, looked to be about mid 30s, immaculate in appearance. Despite my calm demeanor, inside I was still pulsing with the frantic desire to find someway to help my mother to the emergency room and when I saw the clerk I decided that she was the most logical place to go for help.
“Mamn? I need a wheelchair for my mom, she’s outside and can’t move and I need to get her to the emergency room.” I told the desk the clerk. Now, when a person informs a hospital employee that their mother can’t move and needs to get to the emergency room right away, you would think that would prompt a quick and efficient response to make sure the potentially dying patient got the proper treatment.
Wow. It’s true, that there are quite a few nasty folks in public institutes like hospitals and schools. But we generally attribute this nastyness to the entire institute instead of that person. That’s human nature I guess.
But that aside, you saved your mother at 12. That is definitely something to be proud of!
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