I've never seen my mother as scared as I saw her today. My dad has been in and out of the hospital for years, beginning in his twenties when he survived testicular cancer. My mom has been by his side through all of it. Today she thought he would die and he would have died right on the 9th floor of Franciscan Skemp. He would have died if it weren't for Jody. Jody met my dad this week, and she laughed along with his silly jokes and really got to know his personality. When he came back in after a gall bladder removal, the doctors monitored a bleed in his abdomen. Jody kept a close eye on him, and she was the one who noticed something was wrong. Even though his numbers seemed normal, Jody figured out something was gravely wrong because she saw the shift in his personality. Now, many people care for patient symptoms and statistics, but Jody saw past all of the facts and figures and saw a change in my dad's demeanor. She noticed, and she's the reason my dad is alive. My mom was so grateful she cried and hugged Jody, and that's a really rare thing. My dad asked if she could be a part of our family from now on.
I need my dad. I can't imagine life without him. My sister needs our dad. Our kids need their grandpa. My mom needs her husband. And we are going to have Christmas this year with him, all because Jody cared about him enough to pay attention to every aspect of his care. And to Jody, we are forever grateful.