My husband came to RRMC for a cardiac Cath, thinking he might get a few stents and come home the next day. To our surprise, he was admitted and needed cardiac bypass surgery as soon as possible. During pre-op testing, a spot was found on his lung. A biopsy would be done during surgery. This was all quite surprising to my husband, who was, for the most part, a happy, healthy guy.

After surgery, we went to SICU (fabulous care, by the way), then to the CVT unit for cardiac rehab. It is quite a change from ICU to CVT for a patient. Our nurses were kind and efficient. On the first night, my husband was having anxiety, although his loving supportive RN wife was at his bedside, he needed to be sure the staff knew him and were empathetic for his situation and attentive to his needs.

We got a visit from the charge RN that evening, Lem Lem. She is calm, confident and compassionate. She could tell that my husband was nervous. She began to talk to him; see how he felt and then told him what to look forward to on this unit in the coming days. 

She then told my husband, “It takes a moment to get sick but months to heal.” Let this give you the power to heal. You will get well, it takes time. She then shared her own personal struggle 20 years ago, which touched our hearts and gave us hope. 

This was not a speech she gave or memorized! It was from her heart. We believe God brings people into your lives for a reason. Lem Lem was a God-sent.