A Thankful Mother
My 22-year-old daughter, “L”, has been undergoing care for an 'osteosarcoma of the right lower extremity'. A fancy way of saying that for the last 14 months she has been going through hell and is about to walk out the other side to continue her life.
The complete care view of the Palliative Care Team is great. They have a better view on the connections between each of the medicines, the side effects, and the overall flow of care. I just wish that they had been available earlier in the treatment.
The side effects, both physical and mental, of all of the drugs and procedures, take a huge toll on the patient and their caregiver and family. Being my daughter's main caregiver has taught me a lot, and quite a bit of that is from palliative care.
So many things get lost between the Doctors and the Nurses and the explanations to the patient/caregiver (communications in the hospital are not a high point most of the time!!!!). The Palliative Care Team seems to have a broader view and are more in tune with each patient.
A Thankful Daughter
Dear Dr. X,
I have been thinking a lot about you and Dr. “Y” lately; today is the anniversary of my Mom's surgery and so much of our experience at Emory last year was colored by the loving care and concern that you showed to our family. I will always be grateful to you.
Last night my husband and I went to visit our friend, “John”, at Hospice Atlanta and in the course of the conversation his wife talked about how wonderful the Palliative Care team had been to them. We immediately knew that she was talking about you and Dr. “Y” and we shared our appreciation for all you do to help families in such critical times. So in addition to my thanks for your personal interaction with us, I thank you for all you continue to do each day for people I may never know and also for those who are part of my life. Your love for helping others is so apparent and it is truly a blessing that you have found and nurtured your gifts in order to be of service to families in need. John’s wife and I are the co-presidents of the “Dr. X” fan club!
With sincere best wishes,
“Jane”