today I went to a semi-mandatory staff meeting super early in the morning. I was not looking forward to it, but determined to be a part of my workplace, I did go. With an open mind I sat and listened and participated for an hour. In the opening moments of the meeting we have an opportunity to give recognition to outstanding co-workers who show excellence in one matter or another. I was amazed at one of the stories that was shared by a co-worker.
There was a child that had a devastating head injury where his skull was fractured and his dura matter was showing through. He was stable in the simple sense of the word. He was talking and walking, and behaving normally, and with out complaint,... despite having his head have impact with a 4-wheeler. Once he was examined and it was evident that his injury was serious, he was quickly flown to a neurological trauma unit at a hospital with a higher level of care. The arrangements for this sort of transfer happen quickly and the family sometimes just stands-by in shock as the gears quickly move. They do understand that the most important thing is being handled... namely, the child's health. But it can sometimes be overwhelming and emotional to be left behind while the "gears" are in motion.
In this instance, the grandmother and the mother where standing there as the child was being loaded into a stretcher to be taken onto the helicopter. Alone, and scared. Reasonably so. The protocols in place were such that the family members could not legally accompany the child unless they had "safe" footwear. Both family members only had flip-flops.
And so a co-worker of mine literally took the shoes off her feet. Gave them to the mother and asked nothing in return. The mother was granted the gift of being with her son. This co-worker of mine was said to have walked out of the hospital barefoot to her car. Her shift was over. And she had truly done something good.
