56 year old Rob is a critical care nurse from Maryland. Back in January he was vacationing in Charleston, South Carolina when he suffered from a stroke.
He has been in the hospital for the last 9 months. He has no family but he does have a large network of friends back in Maryland.
We were contacted by Judy who is an nurse guardian. She helps advocate for patients in circumstances such as Rob’s. When we spoke over the phone she explained that Rob had become very depressed and was giving up mainly because he had no one familiar near him to give him encouragement. He had become hopeless. She worked diligently to put things in motion for Rob.
We arrive this morning at Rob’s bedside to find Judy, Elizabeth, (the case manager), Marvetta, (the charge nurse) and another staff nurse. The staff have become very protective of Rob. The stroke has affected his right side leaving him unable to stand or walk as well as his speech.
They quickly explain to us that 1 “yes” means yes and 3 “yeses” means no. I asked Rob if he could give a “thumbs up” which he did.
He was extremely anxious and we explained everything we were going to do. He gave us a “thumbs up” as we did our assessment. Once we had him on the cot all 4 of these lovely women leaned in to gently hug him good-bye as they each wiped tears from their eyes.
As Rob was wheeled down the hall I asked him if he realized that he was leaving several ladies behind in tears. It was evident that although they were not his family they considered him part of theirs.
Our flight time was relatively short and Rob seemed to do well. He rested some and seemed to enjoy looking out the window watching the clouds float by. It seemed like in no time at all we arrived in Baltimore.
We transfer him to the ambulance who will now take him to the new facility. He seemed relieved to final be back in his home state. As I climbed into the back of the ambulance, I told him that I was going to pray with him. He reached out to hold my hand.
I could tell he felt very much at peace as I prayed over him. He gently squeezed my hand as I told him good-bye.
1 JOHN 3:2
DEAR FRIENDS, NOW WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD, AND WHAT WE WILL BE HAS NOT YET BEEN MADE KNOWN. BUT WE KNOW THAT WHEN CHRIST APPEARS, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, FOR WE SHALL SEE HIM AS HE IS.
Please pray that Rob will find the encouragement he needs to get better, being surrounded by his friends.
Thank you to Hal, Jason and Jarrett for sharing this mission with me. May the God of peace and grace be with you all.
Blessings,
Shelli Engle RN
