Letter to the Editor: So many people to thank
On Saturday, April 15 , I suffered traumatic burns when I fainted – syncope – outside a friend’s sauna and fell into the fire. A BIG thank you to my dear pals, Jim Schaber and Phil Braddick, for rendering first aid and whisking me off to Plumas District Hospital.
Under the professional leadership of Mrs. Blesse, the ER staff “fussed over me” for some time prior to a Care Flight to UCDavis Med. Ctr. . THANK YOU all for your quick action, including bedside prayer with my priest, Fr. Matt Warren, and the inept knucklehead who wrestled with my wedding ring- got a new pair of sidecutters yet?!
The several days of care – incommunicado, as I was intubated – in ICU were painful and difficult, but my sincere thanks go to the caring and compassionate nurses on day and night shifts: Sunshine; Sam; Mo; Lily; Gee; Matthew; many others; Chaplain Brent and Father K-lis prayed with me; Burn Team member Sara set the standard for wound dressing/debridement, and shaved off my moustache! My first visitor was younger brother, Steve, followed by my wife, Linda, who braved the rutted routes of 89/80 due to snow chains on big rigs! Many thanks!
My last week was spent in a shared room, where I enjoyed a daily shower, and received further care from Sareena; Amanda; Brenda; John Alioto; Anh; Fey; Jill; John; Gladys; Jenny; Cigie; and Gabby; PT staff “Ying” had me “walk around the block” and negotiate stairs; and Meredith and Bip added some vital exercises for my athletic figure! Thankyou all!
A special thankyou to the Burn Team, including Dr. Sen, Dr. Grigsby, Dr. Santana; Sara and Neal; students; and Romi, Michelle, and Jackie on follow-up phone calls, and an especial thankyou to the Dietary staff, who supplied me with three square meals of nutritious food every day!
To all of you who have called/emailed/visited/made food/offered driving, lawnmowing, wood- chucking services – THANK YOU! Your heartfelt concern is much appreciated, and I am grateful to call Quincy Home!
And last, but by no means least, to my home caregiver/chief cook and bottle washer/wound dresser extraordinaire/purveyor of TLC, my wife, Linda (RN – retired!) – I’ll love you ’til the cows come home! THANK YOU!
Alan C. DeWolf/”Wolfie”
Quincy
