‘I left the hospital feeling I’d learned something really important, which I hope I can carry forward’
I met Diane in the nursing ward at the Ottawa Heart Institute, where I spent two days in the ICU after heart surgery. She arrived from a mid-sized city within the radius of the institute, needing valve surgery herself.
Then came my new roommate. The speakerphone calls started almost immediately after she arrived, as her many friends and family sought updates, and continued overnight. I was concerned, imagining the sleepless nights to come. And how would I be able to concentrate on the array of TV shows and podcasts I had downloaded to distract me as I recovered in hospital?
I found myself taking a genuine interest in Diane’s life and started to look forward to the next call so I could piece more of her story together. This was better than any podcast! It was easy to get chatting after that first sleepless night. With more speakerphone-derived information than I really should have had, I had so many questions that I genuinely wanted the answers to.
He was fending for himself at home while she was in hospital, and Diane fretted about his choices and his health. This was fair: Her husband’s lunch that particular day consisted of chips and coffee. Although most of their chats consisted of food-related questions, sheepish responses and subsequent advice, their gentleness and mutual respect was clear.
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