On 16 September 2016, 34-year-old editorial production manager, Laura Levis suffered a severe asthma attack requiring ventilation in a Massachusetts hospital. She never regained consciousness and died a week later. Her husband, Peter, posted on Facebook a letter of gratitude to the professionals who cared for her, which was subsequently published in the New York Times.
“Every single one of you treated Laura with such professionalism, and kindness, and dignity as she lay unconscious. When she needed shots, you apologized that it was going to hurt a little, whether or not she could hear. When you listened to her heart and lungs through your stethoscopes, and her gown began to slip, you pulled it up to respectfully cover her. You spread a blanket, not only when her body temperature needed regulating, but also when the room was just a little cold, and you thought she’d sleep more comfortably that way”
“Then, there was how you treated me. How would I have found the strength to have made it through that week without you?” Peter recounted the many small acts of kindness that staff did for him and the family, including their willingness to fully involve them in decisions about her care. He described how the staff looked after him, knowing exactly when to say the right thing, and when to work in respectful silence.
The staff bent the rules in a show of compassion, “When I smuggled in a very special visitor, our tuxedo cat, Cola, for one final lick of Laura’s face, you ‘didn’t see a thing’.” On his wife’s last day, caregivers shifted Laura to one side of the bed, so he could nestle his body against hers and hold her tenderly. “I will remember that last hour together for the rest of my life,” he wrote. “It was a gift beyond gifts...”
These acts of empathy, compassion, and humanity transcend the medical diagnosis or clinical care we provide. All of our patients are suffering, and it’s within our power to ease that pain. Our compassion, connection and attention to their needs can make all our patients and families feel the way John felt during the week that changed his life. It’s why we are here.