Throughout his stay, my dad consistently marveled at the staff’s ability to be cheerful and caring in every single encounter. He asked me again and again how the staff manages to maintain their professionalism and positive attitude through long shifts despite all of the stresses associated with caring for so many different people in so many difficult circumstances. He reflected frequently on the likelihood that the pandemic causes additional stresses and difficulties even in the non-Covid focused areas of the hospital. He told many people how impressed he was with the quality of the teamwork he observed in his daily interactions. Even with so many people who went above and beyond and do so much.

I would be remiss if I did not specifically mention the care that Dad received from Doris Muriithi who was his nurse at the very beginning of his hospital stay, and mostly before he was ultimately diagnosed with Lyme disease and babesiosis. Dad’s initial days in the hospital were a very difficult experience for him. He is a rare 93 year old who has taken almost no medication, has had very few illnesses, and has very little direct experience on what it is like to be seriously ill. He was overwhelmed by the debilitating physical and neurological symptoms. Doris assessed Dad’s situation and exerted herself to be present and reassuring for him, particularly at night when his discomfort was heightened.

She is soft-spoken but fierce in her devotion to her patients. She engaged politely and firmly with other departments to try and ensure that diagnostic tests would be conducted on time, she also tried to move them closer, when possible, to minimize discomfort. When my dad forgot to order meals, Doris not only made sure that he had something to eat, she ordered things that she knew he liked because she had taken the trouble to note what had disappeared from earlier trays.

One moment that sticks in my memory was when I learned the various tests had borne fruit and my dad had been diagnosed with babesiosis. As I arrived at the door of his room, Doris came directly to me and said she had just tried to call me – there was a diagnosis and my Dad had been started a targeted antibiotic treatment to address it. The urgency and compassion in her manner told me clearly that she wanted me to know about this important development as promptly as possible because she knew how relieved I would be to know there was a target and a plan.

Our family is very grateful to Doris and all the other dedicated caring people involved in diagnosing and treating my dad. You made his 8 day stay as successful and as comfortable as possible. We have sent food to different groups in an effort to say thank you, and we would appreciate anything you could do to make sure Doris and everyone who helped my dad know what a difference they made for him and what a difference they make for others every day!