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Last week was very hard for me. I wasn't feeling well due to an ongoing health issue and things just didn't go as I had planned. I was barely sleeping, my emotional sensitivity was heightened and at times I felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. But what's new?
During this time, I vividly remembered HER. A black woman I observed in the emergency room nearly eight months ago.
Last August, I was sitting in the E.R. with my mother. She called me crying one afternoon while I was with a client. I immediately knew something was terribly wrong. Several hours later, the doctors would tell me that my mom had congestive heart failure and they would be keeping her for a least 2 or 3 days in the cardiovascular hospital. Mom stayed for 8 days. In January, my mother had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator placed in her chest due to the weakness of her heart. While she is nearly fully recovered, I still often think of HER.
On that evening back in August as I sat in the emergency room with my mother worried and scared, SHE came in with a friend. SHE was shivering, crying hysterically and a full wave of emotions. I could feel HER. As I updated my siblinigs and husband on what was going on with my mom, I couldn't help but notice HER slumped over in HER chair, holding HER stomach and literally crying out. As HER friend filled out HER paperwork, SHE then proceeded to lay on the chairs next to HER and a nurse brought HER a blanket. A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER AND SHE WAS STILL IN THE SAME POSITION. When SHE was finally called back to see a doctor, a hospital custodian came to the waiting room. He was there to clean up HER blood. Yes, HER blood. My mother turned to me and said, "God bless HER." It was in that moment that I realized what had happened to HER. SHE had a miscarriage. My heart sank to the floor. I was in shock of what I had witnessed, but even more in shock that the level of concern for HER wasn't higher. Why did SHE have to wait? Why didn't they rush HER to a room so that she could suffer her loss in private? What could have been done differently for HER? What else did SHE lose that night other than her baby? Did anyone follow up wih HER?
Last week was very hard for me. But I wonder what last week was like for HER. SHE should have had a newborn or infant at this very moment. But SHE doesn't. Last week I cried for HER and today at the start of Black Maternal Health Week, I cry for HER, I honor HER and I still feel HER.
During this time, I vividly remembered HER. A black woman I observed in the emergency room nearly eight months ago.
Last August, I was sitting in the E.R. with my mother. She called me crying one afternoon while I was with a client. I immediately knew something was terribly wrong. Several hours later, the doctors would tell me that my mom had congestive heart failure and they would be keeping her for a least 2 or 3 days in the cardiovascular hospital. Mom stayed for 8 days. In January, my mother had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator placed in her chest due to the weakness of her heart. While she is nearly fully recovered, I still often think of HER.
On that evening back in August as I sat in the emergency room with my mother worried and scared, SHE came in with a friend. SHE was shivering, crying hysterically and a full wave of emotions. I could feel HER. As I updated my siblinigs and husband on what was going on with my mom, I couldn't help but notice HER slumped over in HER chair, holding HER stomach and literally crying out. As HER friend filled out HER paperwork, SHE then proceeded to lay on the chairs next to HER and a nurse brought HER a blanket. A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER AND SHE WAS STILL IN THE SAME POSITION. When SHE was finally called back to see a doctor, a hospital custodian came to the waiting room. He was there to clean up HER blood. Yes, HER blood. My mother turned to me and said, "God bless HER." It was in that moment that I realized what had happened to HER. SHE had a miscarriage. My heart sank to the floor. I was in shock of what I had witnessed, but even more in shock that the level of concern for HER wasn't higher. Why did SHE have to wait? Why didn't they rush HER to a room so that she could suffer her loss in private? What could have been done differently for HER? What else did SHE lose that night other than her baby? Did anyone follow up wih HER?
Last week was very hard for me. But I wonder what last week was like for HER. SHE should have had a newborn or infant at this very moment. But SHE doesn't. Last week I cried for HER and today at the start of Black Maternal Health Week, I cry for HER, I honor HER and I still feel HER.
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