Heart Failure Unit

8 days ago Mother called 9-1-1 out of exhaustion, desperation and fear that once again my Father was going to take his last breathe. Dealing with chronic illness much of our lives with my Father brings many panic moments. In fact, I doubt the neighbors question when the ambulance pulls into my parents driveway much anymore. It becomes a way a life where dealing with illness, pain and care taking are a way of life. The morning Mom called 9-1-1, Dad could not breathe even with the oxygen mask on full throttle. He was once again hurting more than Mother was comfortable. He was rushed to the ER and placed in ICU. Once stable 5 days later , if you can be stable in ICU, I was visiting him when the nurse came in to tell Dad they would be transferring him

"Where," we asked?
" The Heart Failure Unit!", she replied matter of fact.

He looked at her in despair and then said, " Could you say, we are moving you to The Heart Survivor Unit instead of Failure?"

I thought he had a great thought. If we enter a situation thinking failure then what positive outlook and hope do we have? Dad knew that we were in a serious situation with his heart and he wanted reassurance not failure. Sure enough on the way to visit him you pass large letters on the wall which read boldly Heart Failure Unit. All the families that watch their loved ones pass through the double doors to the failure unit, must think and harp on failure instead of success. I know realism is important, but what a message to the patients and families to see their families head to a unit with the word failure in it?

Today we took Blaine and Suzanna to see him in "the failure unit". They are the apple of his eye. Of course, Blaine was Blaine and visiting with all the nurses at their station. He came in with EKG print outs, crushed ice all from his new friends Poppy's nurses. After a long stay with the nurses, Blaine comes running up to his Poppy's bedside and smiles larger than life. Just then a flash went off and Blaine ran out laughing. Not second later he had Suzanna do the same thing, run in fast up to her Poppy's bedside and smile larger than life. The flash went off again. I asked them what they were doing to learn that they saw the camera on their Poppy that let the nurses watch him. The duo then discovered the nurses could take a still photo while the camera was on Dad. So, what do you know? Blaine had the nurses take their photo. Somewhere on the hospital surveillance of patients they will find Suzanna and Blaine smiling larger than life with their Poppy in the Hearst Failure Unit! How ironic that in a place where hope is gone, the children can restore life with their smiles, conversation and playfulness. We all were rolling!

This is Dad and Blaine July 4th weekend at my parents ranch in Brenham. They are eating homemade ice cream together on the back patio.