My father was admitted to BRMC after his Hospice Palliative Care Service diagnosed him with Aspiration Pneumonia. To give a little background, my father had a stroke back in 2021, and a year prior, he had been diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia. After the stroke, the dementia was further accelerated by a more vascular dementia and we heavy heartedly set him up with Hospice Palliative Care services. On this particular day my father had been having respiratory issues, lethargy, and spiking fevers and hospice had informed my mother that, her husband of fifty years was in the final stages of dementia and was transitioning to end of life. Needless to say, my mother was beside herself with anxiety and sadness, and did not know what to do, especially since my father had been alright two days ago. 

My father is and will always be the pillar of our family, our strength, and our hero. As a retired oncologist, he saved countless lives, spent many sleepless nights prioritizing his patients, and dedicated 45 years of his life to improving the lives of others outpatient, at LRMC, and at BRMC. He always taught myself and my siblings that being a medical doctor was not the most difficult part of his profession, being a healer was. He taught me that while assimilating and applying the scientific knowledge was strenuous and ever-evolving, there was nothing more challenging yet more rewarding than knowing you touched a life and made things just a little better for your patients and their families during difficult transitions and diagnoses.  Last week BRMC was the epitome of his ideology, from my and my family’s perspectives.

The care my father received during his short stay at BRMC was nothing less than compassionate, empathetic, and extraordinary. The team on Acute Care not only went out of their way to make sure that he was comfortable, but they took into account his dementia, and made sure that he was never afraid, anxious, or alone. Furthermore, the kindness, compassion, service, and empathy extended to my mother, my siblings, and myself warmed my heart and only further emphasized how proud I am that this facility is in my community. 

I can report that my father is doing much better and hanging in there at home, at least with what our new normal became two years ago.  Words will never be able to express how incredibly grateful my family and I are to each and every individual at BRMC who took a terrifying moment for us and turned it into an educational and healing experience.

I would especially like to thank Rengit Philip, Mike Ambrosino, Jim Goodwin, Taylor Faas,  Steve Peery, and the wonderful team on Acute Care that were amazing with both my mother and father: Stephanie Walker, Peggy Wells, Jasmine (PCT), Nick (RN), Susie (RN), Cassie (RN), Keirsten (PCT), and Jessica (PCT).