Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Counting my blessings...

I am blessed in this life to have a good job doing what I love and helping others in the process. I have a nice home to go to and a family to share it with but some calls in EMS will remind us that not all are so fortunate. We received a call around lunch time to a apt. in the projects as many of the officers and my fellow co workers call it, to a woman in her 20's unresponsive. Now with this area these unresponsive calls are usually to a drunk or drug overdose but not today. We arrive to a home with three children none over the age of 10 who were in need of a bath and some clean clothes and the oldest who was 10 took us to their mom who was in the bed not responding to any of my calls to her. The child tells me mom is sick and goes to the doctor for medicine and it made her lose her hair so I guessed mom had cancer as the little one did not know the disease but looking at this frail woman with no hair, very skinny, pale and mouth sores just told me the story on it's own. My partner and some of the firemen kept with the children while I helped mom. It seemed by her vitals and presentation that she was dehydrated and sick from more then just the chemo. after many attempts I got an 22g in the inside of her wrist and started fluids. A 22 is not ideal for fluid pushing but it was all I could get so I figured use it till the hospital could do better. The kid comes up to me and asked about her mom she had tears in her eyes, she told me she had been helping with the little ones so mom could feel better but she wanted to know what to make for dinner since mommy could not cook tonight. I wanted to cry I explained we were taking mommy to the hospital to get help and that she needed to get shoes for all the kiddos and pack a bag with some fav. toys. and she did and they all rode to the ER with us. The ER had the social worker waiting when we got there to help with the children and the nurses were great they got all the children cleaned up and in a room where they could watch t.v and play and then one nurse went to mcdonalds and got them all dinner. They were so happy for that. Mom finally came around and I was right about the cancer she had breast cancer and was a single mom with 3 wonderful amazing kids. She had been sick for a week with nausea and vomiting and weakness and other stomach issues. She thanked us for our care for her and her children and the her sister was called to take the kids till mom was released. I didn't have the heart to ask where the dad was but the sis told me he left when she was dx'ed with the cancer and has not been seen yet. How do you leave your wife and children in a place like this when they need you the most? The social worker  was getting her the resources she needed to better care for her and the children.

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