This is the story of two cases with 5 year old boys when I was working in the ER
By this time I had been working in the Emergency Room for nearly six years and it was one of those maddening Sunday afternoons that go on and on without end. Even after so many years, nothing was routine to me, I still got an adrenaline rush every time I entered those doors.
That afternoon we had seen many patients come and go. They were urgent cases that required stitches or immediate attention for one problem or the other, but at that point, no true traumas had come through the doors. I do remember the labored breathing of a nice little lady who looked to be in her seventies. I saw on her chart that she suffered from COPD among other things. COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder) was something my father suffered with for years. He had been a heavy smoker all of my life and then he paid the ultimate price for his choice to smoke. I remember this patient so well because her name was Sadie (like my favorite sister-in-law) and because she smiled at me through her oxygen mask each time I looked her way. Sadie was admitted to our ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and she waved at me as she was wheeled passed.
My attention turned from that sweet smile of Sadie as I noticed a new patient entering. It was a mother carrying a young boy in her arms. He was 5 years old, limp and weak and a bit sweaty, yet he was adorable with curly blonde hair and sad blue eyes. I was startled by his appearance, he was a very sick child. His nurse got him settled into the pediatric room and drew blood from him for tests that were ordered by our ER physician.
As we waited for his lab results to come over the printer, a call came in from this little boy's father, insisting to come to his son’s bedside. I led him to the room and the second he entered, fireworks began. The father began to scream at the mother and she returned fire. Meanwhile, all I could see was the face of this child who lay there struggling and his expression was one of great sadness. Through the screaming, I learned that these parents had just gone through a nasty divorce and lots of anger and bitterness remained unresolved.
Our ER physician brought them outside the room and told them they needed to leave that talk outside and concentrate on their son who was very ill. They looked a bit ashamed, apologized and re-entered the room.
As soon as the lab results came in on our sick boy, I attached them to his chart and took it to the physician to review. Unfortunately the data confirmed exactly what he had feared, the 5 year old boy had leukemia. My heart ached as I realized what this child had gone through with the nasty divorce and now what he faced with leukemia. I walked down to the room with the physician. The parents were asked to step out into the hallway for a moment. They were told the diagnosis of leukemia for their little boy.
We stood there in silence as it sunk in and I had no idea what to expect, but I never expected what happened. Suddenly the parents looked at each other and all of the hate seemed to melt away as they embraced one another and wept. They cried, I cried and I looked up to see tears in the eyes of our physician.
Soon their pediatrician arrived and he discussed the case with them and the numerous options they had for his treatment, including a trip to St. Judes Children’s Hospital. In my mind I recall his curly blonde hair like his mother and beautiful blue eyes from his daddy and the deeply sad look on this little fellow.
Only about 30 minutes passed and it was not enough time to free myself from the sadness of this child, when we were advised another young boy, age 5 was headed in with an injury. We had sketchy details but we knew his injury involved a clothes hanger.
Until I take my last breath, I will clearly see that young boy who came in on an ambulance gurney with his mother that evening.
The mother was sitting up on the gurney with the boy sitting between her legs. She had dark black hair that was in a pony tail and wore a bloody yellow shirt. Her face was engulfed with absolute fear. Her son had thick black hair and wore a bright blue shirt that was covered with blood. Blood was streaming down his face from both eyes and there was a wire clothes hanger sticking in each eye!
This scene was like something from a horror movie and I cannot watch horror movies, yet I could not take my eyes off of the real life horror before me. I remember that mother as she steadied her son and looked as though she could scream at any moment.
This family lived next door to a surgeon and he was nearby when the accident occurred. He accompanied them in the ambulance and made calls to the needed personnel to rush to the operating room for immediate surgery. So only minutes after their arrival, they were being rushed to the operating room.
The next day we learned that the surgery went well and though damage was done, this young boy was not left blind. He would require aids to help his vision, like glasses or contacts but that was great news to us.
We never know when we get up each day what is in store for us. We must meet it, greet it, and do the best we can with it.
A seriously injured or sick child is a parent's biggest fear!
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