Tupeak Hope

C is for Compassion Compassion, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is the “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it”. Or in more simple terms, “it refers to both an understanding of another’s pain and the desire to somehow mitigate that pain”. Compassion is often an undervalued trait in people as a whole, especially true in the field of healthcare. I’ve had some wonderfully compassionate and caring nurses, and physical rehab specialists of various disciplines, and physician assistants.

Believe… No matter what you are going through, you must believe… In your strength In your abilities In your worth In humanity In yourself!!! Sometimes in life we find ourselves facing a life altering event of some sort. It could be the loss of a job, or the loss of a loved one. Perhaps you’ve suffered some sort of major medical crisis or traumatic injury. You may think I am being vague, and you’d be correct.

Most often when we think of someone being in the hospital, we think instantly of their physical health. However, mental health can play an important role in healing physical issues as well. The mental health aspect of healthcare, when it comes to physical maladies is often overlooked, or simply not thought of as often as it should be. I am a firm believer that every patient who has been admitted to the hospital should receive, at the very least, a cursory mental health examination.

Most of us go about our daily lives oblivious to the dangers lurking all around us during nearly every second of our seemingly routine and maybe even mundane existence. While some of you may well find this post to be morbid and unnecessary. I assure you from personal experience on multiple levels, many of them personal and very close to home, this is a topic that must be addressed. This is a very difficult, yet sobering and absolutely necessary topic.

Despite having worked in EMS, as well as in hospitals on medical/surgical floors; Skilled Nursing Facilities, Emergency Departments, Operating Rooms and many roles over my years before becoming ill, and the fact that I now have extensive knowledge and experience being a patient, I have once again learned what I think is a valuable lesson that some of us forget over our time in service to others in healthcare. And the fact of the matter is that all patients are NOT created equal!