Credit is Due

Security received a call at the end of our shift at 2245 hours to rush up to the geriatric department stat. The report was that an elderly man was trying to leave. When I arrived with my partner we found a 79 year old man cussing and yelling that he is leaving this hell hold. Now patients have all rights to refuse treatment and leave at any time, but the problem was he was hooked up to an oxygen machine and when he stood up every bone cracked. He was diagnosed with leukemia and was dying. If this man went down it was going to take the strength of both of us officers to get him up. He began to tell us that he was ready to die now and I was to carry him down stairs, get him in my vehicle and drive him 40 miles north. I explained to him that I could not do that and he told me that he was going to sue me for everything I have. Jokes on him I work security, I am poor.

These situations are normal for us to get called to. Typically the nurses are tired of the patients who have been acting out all day and at the end of the day let security deal with it. I was going to start my speech on why life is worth living when a nurse came out of a room and started to speak. This was not her patient at all and she looked absolutely exhausted, but gave an outstanding speech. Not only did it move myself and my other officer it made everyone listening think twice about their lives.

Security officers sometimes have to learn how to help people cope with terminal illnesses or death. By the end of the day nobody seems to want to help these people and security officers naturally want to help even if they don't want to admit it. Nurses sometimes forget that they got into this profession to help, but by the end of the day with all the stress in a hospital they just seem to give up. Then there are those nurses who are special almost a gift. She did not do what she did to help us out, she did it because she was worried about this man. After her heart felt speech the man laid down, put his oxygen mask back on and said, I guess I will stay a little but longer if you will have me". That nurse did a great job and sometimes we over look these hard working people and I would like to give credit where credit is due. Thanks to everyone that makes the darkest times seem brighter.

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