Personal Narrative: Dead Or Alive

Tears poured down my face like I was in a rain forest, hugged my mom tightly as if she was a cuddly stuffed animal and I prayed, prayed like I’ve never prayed before. Not really knowing what was going on or what was going to happen. My sister arrived home, followed by my dad shortly after. While we waited to hear back from the hospital, we sat on the couch in the living room bawling our eyes out probably. Don’t worry, I will tell you about what is going on.

his aorta before coming to lodge in his upper body. Furthermore, a final autopsy report has not

was willing to provide his name. The male quickly stated that he had a DOC

He was taken back for surgery around 10:00 AM. We all met at the hospital – St. John's – very early that morning, sure to be there for him. Surgery, since they had a few complications, was not completed until about 4:00 that same afternoon. Gramps had an aneurysm that hadn't quite burst yet. The aneurysm was on its way through the valve and into his heart chamber. We were waiting for his surgery to come to an end when we receive a call from the surgeons that they had run into some complications. Ended up that he had to have his heart valve replaced and a double bypass.

While waiting, I yearned for answers; I wanted to know structure of the hospital, the reason for the constant beeping sound, the number of surgeries scheduled, patients that were being treated nearby, and the quickest way to them. Being sly, I would sneak off and try to get a glimpse of an actual chart. After his surgery, my grandfather was quickly escorted to ICU; “ICU, ICU, what could this mean?”

It was a typical Thursday on CVCU. The day was steady, but nonetheless, busy. The charge nurse aid I would be receiving a patient, post cardiac catheterization laboratory (cath lab) in room nine. I wasn’t long after, indeed I saw the cath lab team approaching with the patient. I met them in the room and I early introduced myself to Mr. E.H. I noticed, immediately, that he seemed indifferent. Meanwhile, we collectively settled him, by placing him on the monitors and assessing his procedure site.

Davis came in all washed and ready to get started. Because I was going to be awake during the entire procedure, the nurses pinned a sheet up as a shield. Next, my husband was brought in to sit beside my head. I was still nervous, and he could tell. He reached out and grabbed my left hand, and I could instantly feel my nerves begin to subside a bit. The doctor got started, and all I could do was look at the ceiling and squeeze my husband’s hand. I could smell burning flesh, but I tried to think about something else. As Dr. Davis worked, he talked. I guess this was his way of keeping things a little lively, as well as, keeping my mind off of what he was doing. It took about 30 minutes of working to cut me open, and I felt him start to tug and

To anyone else, March 30, 2016 seemed like any other day. I woke up at an ungodly hour, spent incredibly way too much time on a bumpy, smelly school bus, and sat at a desk for hours. However, for me, this day was different. At 3:15, I was going to see a doctor, a doctor that might finally figure out why I had been feeling sick for months. My mom pulled me out of fourth block early, and we started on out journey to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The ride seemed to take hours, and the traffic seemed endless. Eventually we made our way through the maze of a parking garage and hallways. After navigating our way to my appointment, my mom and I sat in the stiff chairs of the colorful and child-like waiting room until we were placed in an exam room. Eventually, there was a knock at the door and cardiologist Dr. Borris entered the room.

“Hi my name is Lee and this is my friend Will my father sent us he said you’re the man who found the cure” I explained to the

When he broke the news to his family they didn't even know what to say, it was a time for devastation for them. A couple of days later things started to get worse, so a week went by and he went to see a doctor.

This Friday was a very eventful and exciting day at the Cardiac Catheterization Lab. When I first arrived at the office I asked my mentor, Maria, if there were any procedures that I could watch. After two phone calls, there was one surgery that had just begun that I could sit in and watch. When I went to the control room, I had looked through the glass and I had noticed that there were at least six or seven people in the surgery room. After about five minutes watching the surgery and the screen that projected the heart, the tech guy that I met a few weeks ago comes into the control room, says hi, and tells me that this is a good case for me to watch because it is a different surgery than the ones I have previously seen. In this case, the patient

I remember this case as today, because he was so young, but my grandfather felt betrayed and that he was losing his time and medication with this patient. My grandfather stood up, was hearing his heart with a stethoscope, and one indication for him to hear

Then a rescue team went looking for him so they could help him but he wouldn’t respond to the team’s radio calls. The rescue team found his plane but Root seemed to be unconscious in the cockpit of his plane. The rescue team were right above him but they came a minute too late. They were a minute too late because Root’s plane

We all got into the car and immediately my sister was bombarded with questions. “Is he ok?”, “What happened?”, “Who is with him?” She answered each one to the best of her knowledge. She told us that his heart had stopped and started back up again, and that Mama (my Mom) and Papa (my Dad) were at the hospital with him. The car ride there was a very scary ride, because we were all so frightened by what had happened.

The doctor made a personal connection with me that day. He listened intently, showed empathy for my condition. It was comforting the way he indicated that he would commit himself to helping me while portraying confidence in himself that he