Wednesday, March 7, 2012

My Friend who Died in the O.R.

This is something we who work in the O.R. don't talk about: sometimes caregivers die at work. One of my colleagues just passed unexpectedly while doing a case.

When I found out about it, I was in the O.R. Someone called to let me know. I started crying. I excused myself and explained the situation to the team who was operating at the time. The whole room got sad. I apologized, and everyone understood.

And of course they wanted to know all about why he died...we ARE medical.

Later, I felt his spirit.

'You can TALK to me?'
'Yes. Just like before.' I smiled.

He said it was his heart. He didn't know it was that bad. I asked him if he had been having any symptoms. He said, 'not really.'

He thought it was cool that I could talk to him like always. He was fresh and just starting to get oriented to The Other Side. I gave him some tips. And of course I said, 'You can go and help (your family)'. He gave me a nice compliment. He said he would have liked to go out on a date 'with the coolest girl in the world'. I said, 'you did, your wife, you are married!'. And he smiled. He meant me. He was that impressed by my intuitive gift I never told him about. I was flattered.

He is the second of my peers to have passed. The first was in Iraq.

And the old doc who I always thought was going to drop in the OR? He died on a fishing trip in Alaska! Massive heart attack. We have had a urologist die suddenly at home (he was sweet). And a hall cleaning guy died of a massive heart attack two years ago. At home. And there was Porphy. That about covers it.

We save lives. But we are human just like our patients. And we are patients too. A close colleague never said anything to me, but had surgery this week. I saw her on the schedule, and I prayed for her and her surgeon, who are both my friends.

Think about it.

Life without disease and death. All us hospitals will be out of work! When that happens I want to work with animals at the zoo.

Namaste,

Reiki Doc