"We were in an unknown city, without any knowledge of where to go to get help," wrote Patricia in an email to Ascension leadership. They ended up at an urgent care facility, where after a couple X-rays, they were told they needed to go to ER at Ascension Via Christi St Francis.
The family arrived around 7 p.m., a little anxious about being in an unfamiliar place.
"Every single person we spoke with, from the ER staff, X-ray technicians, overnight room care, pre-surgery, the surgical team, truly every single person up to, and including, the woman who wheeled my daughter out at discharge went above and beyond to help us," wrote Patricia, adding that she was immensely grateful for everyone's personal touches, which helped to their hospital trip go smoothly from admission to discharge the following day.
She says it was the little things that made such a big difference in their comfort level, such as the:
- ER associate who went to the hospital cafeteria to get their hungry daughter a warm plate of chicken tenders and fries
- ER doctor and nurse who remained in the room with Natalie so Patricia could a quick trip to the restroom
- CNA from Pediatrics who helped her husband and 8-year-old daughter, Danielle, find their way back to their car at midnight
- Surgery staff who allowed Seth and Danielle to remain in the waiting area while Natalie was in surgery.
Patricia, noting that the family didn't have anyone to turn to for support outside of hospital staff, says they could not have ended up at a better place or in better hands.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone at St. Francis," she wrote. "You all were extremely compassionate and understanding, for my little out-of-town family, who didn’t know where we were or what was going on."