I received four coronary bypasses in May at Overlake Hospital. I represented a poor prospect for such a procedure due to the number of other ailments/physical complications which rendered me a bit more problematic than the average recipient of such a procedure. Of particular note amongst my spectrum of medical issues is a congenital spinal deformity leaving me in significant pain most of the time. Weak lungs, almost completely compromised walking ability, and so on, rounded out my problems. I'm the poster child for the collection of medical issues one DOESN'T want to have when going through bypass surgery if you're hoping for a successful outcome.
In short, lying on my back is generally very painful and, due to the bypass surgery, lying on my back was the ONLY option for me during recovery.
Catch-22.
Consequently, I was a more "needy" patient than probably most post-surgery nurses are accustomed to dealing with. In general, while the workmanship I received from the surgical staff was clearly superior in every way (which becomes more and more evident as my recovery progresses) my general experience with many of the nurses during the post-surgical hospital stay was less than positive.
A notable exception was Jasen Luna. I imagine it must be very difficult to strike the right balance synthesizing necessary professional distance with genuine compassion for patients who are suffering. Mr. Luna stood out in my experience at Overlake as being one of the very few I personally encountered who possesses that unique combination of professionalism and sensitivity.
Never in my life have I been so miserable as when I initially regained consciousness from my surgery. Utterly restricted in my movement, in tremendous pain, half-delirious so that the experience was a miasma of confusing pain and misery, Mr. Luna was the only person who gave me the sense that I might actually survive this horror. Here was someone who actually seemed to both understand and to sincerely care about what I was going through at that moment in time. There were very few comforts available to me at that time, and Mr. Luna made certain that I had them without fail or delay.
For what it's worth, my wife was also impressed with his sincerity when she spoke to him repeatedly over the phone. Naturally, the COVID situation completely prevented any wifely support or comfort and her only line of information at that time was Jasen Luna. He NEVER failed to keep her informed and to return her calls promptly.
Given the nature of the procedure and the reality of my medical/physical situation, there simply wasn't an available path that didn't involve misery. In that state or condition, amazingly trivial things make all the difference in the world. An always-full cup of icy cold water to ease your parched and sore throat can be just enough to focus on, to hang on to in order to keep your morale up. Waking up as you pass in and out of consciousness for minutes or hours at a time only to discover your cup of water has gone to room temperature and tastes like an old iron pipe can carry a disappointment with it that's difficult to explain unless you've been in that situation and compromised state of mind.
Mr. Luna seems to understand these nuances of caregiving. His attitude, professionalism, and comportment inspired me to actually believe that all this was just a temporary discomfort and there was somebody around who knew what he was doing who could help me get through it, and that perhaps I was something more that an obligation that required a certain attendance that would lead to a paycheck.