I am a retired Middle School teacher. I have been retired now for 19 years. I have enjoyed being around good people. Sometimes when we find good people in our lives, we just want to let them know how much they mean to us. This happened to me with Katie, as I have had ups and downs with my INR blood scores over the years. Just when I thought I was on the right track with my monthly blood work, I was so happy, and Katie, who calls me each month to report the findings, was very pleased that I was doing a good job keeping that under control. Katie was always so encouraging and would tell me to keep up the good work each month. But then, one month, my INR spiked very high. I was in shock. I had been trying so hard to do everything I was supposed to do, but I had no idea why this was happening.

When Katie called me to give me the results of my INR test, I was very emotional and began to cry. She was so kind to me. She told me she was sure we could get this fixed and not to worry. She told me I had done nothing wrong and that sometimes the medicine might have to be adjusted. I told her I went from being the “poster child to the bad child.” She said that just wasn’t true and that I shouldn’t worry like this. She reassured me that this would all work out. She then told me what I needed to do concerning my Coumadin.

We hung up, and I felt a bit better, but it wasn’t until the next week when I got my results from the MyChart online that Katie called. I was so happy to see that my test was back in range, and I felt so much happier. Then Katie called me, and the first thing out of her mouth was... “I hope you are happy with the results of your INR test.” I told her I sure was, and then she said, “I have my J back again.” It made me feel so good that she looked at me as her patient, and I was important to her for her to say “my J.”

To those reading this, how people are treated, even in a small way, can mean the world to someone who needs nothing but pure kindness. Simple but powerful.