Lifesavers for Latasha

Over the last few weeks of this Heart Lung Transplant journey, 26 days to be exact, I have had the honor of seeing human beings at their finest.

I have had time to think, reflect, and analyze many things. But the past 48 hours have left me thinking hard about the humanity, morality, and compassion of caregivers in the medical field.

I guess this has been on my mind because, generally speaking, when you look outwardly at social media and mainstream media, and sometimes directly around your daily life, you see nothing but negativity, chaos, doom and gloom, and nastiness. I have seen patients and their families act not so great around here and mistreat caregivers; that is frustrating because most medical professionals are in medicine because they care. After all, it’s a calling and passion, not because it is glamorous or they’re getting rich.

I’ve grown attached to and somewhat protective of many of them when I see someone being nasty to them. Perhaps I’ve been here too long.

I reflect on this because yesterday ( July 26, before Tasha’s fourth surgery), I interacted with a doctor during a low point in the HLT journey that left both of us choked up and frankly left me feeling like humanity is alive and well. I’ve gotten to know this particular doctor well over the past few weeks because they took time to talk and be human. The doctor took time out of their busy day from another part of the hospital to come and check on Tasha and me, not because they had something medical to talk about, but because they wanted to see how we were holding up emotionally. That was pretty amazing.

Don’t get me wrong, I see the good in people and situations every day, but when you’re in the mud and dealing with many heavy things, it’s easy to stay in the mud and get angry and blame others for your pain, especially when things seem to go sideways and counter what should be happening. Another point and case that none of us are in control of a damn thing.

I try hard to be good and lead with empathy and love. It has been a blessing to receive that same goodness from technicians, nurses, surgeons, and doctors who juggle dozens of patients and deal with their life stuff. One could argue that’s their job, but it is a choice, not a requirement. I have met plenty of not-so-nice medical staff along this journey, but the vast majority are genuinely phenomenal caregivers and angels.

I feel it’s necessary to talk about this because caregivers and medical professionals are inundated with more daily emotional, physical, and mental stresses beyond what most people see their entire lifetime. Of course, this doesn’t include our fantastic law enforcement, firefighters, and military service men and women.

To my point, the number of Cleveland Clinic caregivers and medical professionals who have taken time to be human is beyond measure, and the compassion to any other hospital we have been to is bar none. And believe me, Tasha and I have been to our fair share.

So, for anyone who thinks people don’t care about simple acts of kindness and humanity, please think again. People notice and cherish the gentle nature of feeling like they matter and that they’re not just a name on a chart or a random faceless person in a hallway.

I challenge anyone to be kinder and gentler to those who may need an act of kindness to make them go just a little further to the finish line and climb out of the mud a little faster.

I can assure you that I wouldn’t have made it this far in this HLT journey without these simple acts of kindness and compassion each day. For that, I thank every Cleveland Clinic team member who has come in my path.