I am writing you today because I felt compelled to tell you what a treasure you have in your employ… Mary Gloeckner. Out of nowhere, with no prior incidents, I found myself in the hospital in December with acute diverticulitis/micro perforation. The doctors tried treating it for 5 days with antibiotics. I went home for a day and a half and ended up back in the hospital and within 2 hours was in surgery, waking up to a colostomy. There were way too many new things to deal with for my husband and me, plus I was so sick (unable to eat or drink because of the drugs and the antibiotics)… we were totally freaked out by the whole thing. And then along came Mary!
She was so very helpful… she calmed our fears, talked us through how to work with all a colostomy entails… from trying different bags until we found one that worked for me, giving us helpful pointers, assuring us that all was looking good and healing properly. She had such a calming effect on both of us… so very knowledgeable, could answer each and every question we had. Seeing her throughout that first month after the surgery helped us so much. She truly is a very special person.
Every now and then, it is nice to get a pat on the back from one's superiors, and Mary so deserves a huge pat on the back! Working with ostomy and other wound care patients seems like a very tough job to do day in and day out, yet every time we saw her, she was upbeat, full of energy, and just there to help in any way she could.
My husband and I feel very blessed that she was there to take care of me, and help us through such a difficult time in our lives. She was truly an angel when we needed one, and I am sure all of her patients feel the same way. If all goes well, the plan is to have surgery in June to have the operation reversed, and Mary certainly will have had a role in making that happen… So thank you again, Mary!