Editor: To the Langley Hospital medical staff, 911 responders and strangers, I thank you for what you may say was doing your job. You gave me back my heart.
Thursday, Nov. 10 will be a day that I will never forget. My 19-year-old son, who has never even had stitches, lay on the brink of leaving me forever. After a 40-minute seizure, he was placed on a ventilator. It was a mother’s worst nightmare.
This letter is to thank the people who ensured my son is alive today. We read stories on the horrors of our medical system, but on that day all I saw was the goodness of people working harder than anyone I’ve ever seen to save a stranger’s life, without a second thought.
Thank you for your support, your diligence and patience — to the paramedics and firemen who responded; to the staff at McDonalds for their quick thinking; to the doctor who came behind the counter to help; to the ER staff at Langley Memorial Hospital for your quick work; to Dr. McDermid of CCU and the nurses Amanda, Hanny and Flora for your patience and understanding; to the social worker who held my hand and told me it was going to be OK. I’ve realized now how precious life is. No words can describe how grateful I am.
Without these incredible people from the 911 responders to the medical staff at the hospital, I could be just dreaming of my son’s face instead of being able to touch him. No words can describe how grateful I am to all of you. You will never be forgotten.
Caren Stadnik,
Langley
