Finding the good in good Samaritans

Being good is commendable, but only when it is combined with doing good is it useful. ~Author Unknown

Of all the parables in the New Testament, the one concerning the Good Samaritan seems, at times, to hit home the closest. You remember the story, told in Luke, chapter 10, about a poor unfortunate who is robbed and left for dead. Bypassed by a priest and a Levite, the man is eventually helped by a Samaritan, a member of a society that normally did not interact with those of the Jewish religion. The Samaritan takes the wounded man to an inn, and even pays for his care. Jesus explains that though the Priest and the Levite were of the same nationality and religion as the wounded man, it was the Samaritan that was his neighbor, as it was he who, through his actions, saved the man’s life.

There are many times in our lives when we are in the same situation as that individual who was befriended by the Good Samaritan. Many times when we are sick and unable to help ourselves, we find ourselves literally at the mercy of those, whom we may not know, whose job it is to assist us. Even when it is not us who is in need of medical help, but a loved one, and we are unable to render the necessary assistance ourselves, we are in need as much as the ones who are sick. It is then that it is a comfort to find the Good Samaritans among us, and once these individuals come forth and render this assistance, we appreciate this parable even more. And it is after such assistance has been given that these Good Samaritans should be identified, and thanked.

And this is what I wish to do now. No, I was not in need of medical help, myself. Rather, it was my mother, who, since the initial onset of this condition in 2001 (coincidentally, just before the 9/11 attacks), has been subject to mild seizures. She has been, since that time, on the medication, Dilantin, to control them, and, until very recently, had had no recurrence of them. But all that ended very suddenly, it seemed, on the third of this month. It was then that I first noticed the erratic behavior that accompanies such seizures, and so, late in the evening on that day, I was obliged to call the Elkhorn City Ambulance to transport her to the Pikeville Medical Center (PMC). And it was the crew that came out that was the first of the many Good Samaritans I would meet before our ordeal was ended.

This crew-and I am sorry, but I did not get both their names (one was a former student of mine, Patricia Chaffins, now working on becoming a paramedic)-came, and reassured my mother, who was somewhat distraught at this point, needless to say, that everything was going to be fine. They got her to the hospital with all due dispatch, and Patricia even came into the emergency room later to check up on her. It was due to their timely response, and gentle care that I was able to stay behind a bit, and to pack a bag with everything Mom would need for the anticipated stay at PMC, and also to notify such of my siblings as I was able to reach, of my decision to have Mom hospitalized.

Of course, getting the patient into an ambulance and on their way to the hospital is only the beginning. Everything seems to go at its own pace in an emergency room. Even when you have been seen, and are under the care of the ER doctor, the general rule seems to be, all in good time. And this time was no exception. I had witnessed the erratic behavior, and not an actual seizure, and I could only describe, in general terms, why I had decided to bring Mom to the ER. And until tests were done, and examinations completed, no diagnosis could be made, and no treatment administered. And all this does take time. And between tests and examinations and whatnot, time hangs heavy on your hands. And it was here that the staff in the ER showed their concern simply by being there for the family. Sometimes, a little reassurance at the right time is the proper medicine.

It was some five hours into the ordeal, and a new MD had come on duty, a Doctor Bunch (I believe that name is correct) when Mom first had a seizure that the ER personnel could witness. By that time, results from the second blood test had come back, and they showed that, among other things, Mom’s Dilantin level was low. Dr. Bunch, having witnessed a couple of her seizures, correctly assessed the situation, and again reassured us that what we were seeing was not stroke-related, and that Mom would be okay.

To make a long story short, Mom was hospitalized, and once in her room on the seventh floor, again had several mild seizures that were witnessed by more of the hospital’s staff. By early evening of her first day there, Mom was seen by the Doctor who has been treating her since the onset of this condition, Dr. Sujata Gutti, a Board Certified Neurologist, who also witnessed a seizure (Mom’s fourth on this day), and who quickly prescribed a new medication, Keppra, to be taken with the Dilantin. Not only did the first dose of the new medication put an end to her seizures, it also put Mom out of it literally, and she slept quite soundly for the rest of that night. And Mom has been improving on a daily basis since, and is rapidly getting back to her old self.

But to those nurses and other assorted hospital personnel who were there anytime Mom or any of her family needed anything, we cannot say “Thank you” nearly enough. Whenever a nurse was needed, one appeared quickly, and helped out with a smile. The food that was provided for her was appetizing, and as good as any home-made meal anyone has ever served. Whenever the family was at the hospital, we were treated as nicely as anyone could ever expect to be treated, and when we were not there, we always knew that she was in the best of hands, and that we need not be concerned for her. And in the end, that is the true value of the Good Samaritans of this world, the trust that we can repose in them for the care of our loved ones who cannot help themselves.