Thread by @ShantelSherwood

How many of you have had a loved one in ICU?

I have.

I usually save our story for the anniversary of it all happening but given the times I'm going to talk about our big one together.

T.W for some with religious trauma. Or perhaps medical trauma.
#abhealth #COVID19AB

I have a younger brother with whom I love dearly. He was born with a congenital heart defeat.
This resulted in an Aorta needing to be grafted to his stomach. Pretty ground breaking in the 80's my dad @dsherwoodx2 could probably go into greater detail here I was 3.

But this wasn't a permanent fix as I've learned grafts often aren't.
He would go through many horrific surgeries and be saved many times in our own Stollery Hospital as a child.

My brother and I came to live together as young adults when I had dissolved my relationship with my daughters father and he stayed with my daughter and I. I worked in an auxiliary home and left very early. My brother had been sick for some time looked like persistent pneumonia.

He couldn't work and so helped me out often with my daughter.
She had gone for the night and I left for work early as per my norm. Upon arrival an odd type of hive rash covered my face and neck. Working with vulnerable seniors I was told to call someone to get me and go home.

Went home poof it was gone. But within the hour of being confused and upset over missing a day of work my brother would wake up to a bad cough and a very scary trip to the bathroom. His Aorta ruptured into his stomach. The graft had burst and the scene made the movie Carrie mild.

Had I not come home my brother would have died that day. Between the amazing people answering 911 and the paramedics we got him to the hospital. The rest is long and full of medical jargon. But it didn't look good. He was given a 10% chance of survival the surgery.

Many many doctors were part of the team that day and nurses. It was long. He made it. And his stay in ICU was long. Sadly it all didn't hold and weeks later they did it all again. Pickled aorta if you can imagine. ICU again. And the rules to go in hard. But to keep them safe.

I know what every single beep sounded like. Slow and steady and safe. Quiet. And a place to heal. Slow moving as much as possible and hushed voices. People just barely hanging on. And you're in some way part of it

This is not a place you want overwhelmed. This is not a team of people you want walking away. Those nurses and doctors see things you all couldn't imagine. And those families? They are scared, exhqusted, and needing support.

What nobody needs is selfish behaviors taking from anyone in there. What we don't need is people doubting that overwhelming it would be bad. You can run this level of care in a hallway ok? So please keep away from the hospitals. Keep them a safe space.

Maybe you haven't had to see the inside of those ICU units but I sure have and if God forbid any one of my loved ones ends up there again I want it to be run by calm supported teams and a safe and quiet place.

#abhealth #abpoli #AbLeg #COVID19AB

I want to note here... I have no explanations for why the hives happened that day. I know in my heart of hearts I was sent home for a reason. My faith came from experiences like this and it may upset some but I know that day changed a lot for me.