Joey Lavallee
December 2020
Joey
Lavallee
,
NP
ORMC Inpatient Medicine Group
Orlando Regional Medical Center
This exchange with Joey was the first time P had smiled in days and his disposition was completely changed.
My son P suffered a TBI and his neuro step-down unit was adjacent to the burn unit. For a little change of scenery, his nurse walked him out of our neuro and into the burn unit. When passing the nurses station, by coincidence, my son's MD was there, so we stopped to chat. That's when we met Joey. Joey with a grin on his face made a comment along the lines of "Dude you should totally rock a mohawk, I mean you are already halfway there." The rest of that conversation went something like this.....
P = (with a huge grin on his face) yeah right, I was thinking the same thing.
Joey= You should do it! (With a huge grin on his face)
P = I'm seriously thinking about it.
Joey = I have some clippers in the back.
P = Let's do it!
Joey = What room are you in? I can be there in 15 minutes.
15 minutes later Joey walks into his room with clippers and P got the absolute biggest grin on his face and proceeded to get his mohawk. This exchange with Joey was the first time P had smiled in days and his disposition was completely changed. He had a totally different beat in his step and, sure enough, ended up being discharged a day early. Without a doubt, this selfless, lighthearted gesture began the change in my son's outlook on his recovery. The mohawk had already become a treasured story. He has decided to keep it in place for now so he can show off his scar.
Joey, thank you so much for taking a minute out of your day to brighten someone else's. Those acts of kindness are what separates the practitioner from the healer. Hearing your passion for what you do in the burn unit and to hear you talk of watching patients heal before your eyes overcome the times they are in pain, shows the character of your heart. You truly are a blessing to those around you.
Passion = for healing those in your care
Empathy = for the pain they are suffering
Trust = gained through seeing your care and kindness
Love = for your patience demonstrated through selfless acts of kindness and giving of your time
These are all of the attributes we experienced in a short amount of time but the blessing will last a lifetime.
P = (with a huge grin on his face) yeah right, I was thinking the same thing.
Joey= You should do it! (With a huge grin on his face)
P = I'm seriously thinking about it.
Joey = I have some clippers in the back.
P = Let's do it!
Joey = What room are you in? I can be there in 15 minutes.
15 minutes later Joey walks into his room with clippers and P got the absolute biggest grin on his face and proceeded to get his mohawk. This exchange with Joey was the first time P had smiled in days and his disposition was completely changed. He had a totally different beat in his step and, sure enough, ended up being discharged a day early. Without a doubt, this selfless, lighthearted gesture began the change in my son's outlook on his recovery. The mohawk had already become a treasured story. He has decided to keep it in place for now so he can show off his scar.
Joey, thank you so much for taking a minute out of your day to brighten someone else's. Those acts of kindness are what separates the practitioner from the healer. Hearing your passion for what you do in the burn unit and to hear you talk of watching patients heal before your eyes overcome the times they are in pain, shows the character of your heart. You truly are a blessing to those around you.
Passion = for healing those in your care
Empathy = for the pain they are suffering
Trust = gained through seeing your care and kindness
Love = for your patience demonstrated through selfless acts of kindness and giving of your time
These are all of the attributes we experienced in a short amount of time but the blessing will last a lifetime.