LEAP AND THE NET WILL APPEAR

I spent almost 25 years running psychiatric and general hospitals.  While the work is not always fun, it is always exciting and I enjoyed the daily challenge of trying to improve hospital operations.  More importantly, I enjoyed leading a team and I valued the friendships that developed at each hospital over the years.
                                                                                                                         
So, it was with great difficulty that I considered leaving the relative stability of hospital administration for the challenge of consulting.  I had worked with David Cawley and Jim Johnson earlier in my career, so that was not an issue, but I was anxious about the unknown, my future, and whether I’d like the life of a consultant.  I thought deeply about my decision for weeks. 
                     

                                                                                                                                                                          
In the end, a simple card from my wife made my decision for me.  Alina had watched me struggle with my decision.  One day, returning from a trip to the mall, she handed me an envelope.  Inside was a card that said simply:  “Leap and the net will appear.”  I decided to take the leap...the support and encouragement I needed to succeed did indeed appear...and I have never regretted the decision. 
                                                                                                          

And it’s like that in healthcare.  We struggle with rapid and significant change...the fear of the unknown....uncertainty about the future.  But a bright future awaits each one of us who is willing to embrace change and not falter.  Here’s the best advice I can give you:  “leap and the net will appear.” 

Healthcare Heroes

When I was in college in Richmond, I worked as a volunteer at The Medical College of Virginia.  I got to know a little girl named Elizabeth who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. 

The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. He hesitated for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her." 

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled seeing the color returning to his sister’s cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.  He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?” You see, being young, he had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

At 5 years old, that kid had the heart of a hero.  Most of us won’t be called upon to give our all for another, but we are called upon every day to give of ourselves – our time, our attention, our talents – to others.  The “primacy of patient needs” is a doctrine that says our patients’ needs come before our own and we can give of ourselves…every day, every patient, every encounter…to have a life-changing impact on someone else.  That is a mission worthy of any hero!