I was recently blessed with the miracle of two new lungs at TGH. My surgery and recovery were overseen by a remarkable, talented, and compassionate team of individuals. This team was exceptional, but one individual really stood out in Cardiothoracic ICU and that was Beau. His incredible critical knowledge, compassion and attention to detail not only hastened my recovery but also made me feel human again.

Beau spent two and a half nights caring for me. The first night he explained that he had recently read an article about oral care and the benefit to lung transplant patients in that it reduced bacteria thereby reducing the chance of infection. This simple act of brushing my teeth immediately made me feel so much better and that evening seemed to turn more positive.

The second night we were together, Beau’s attention to detail saved me and another patient from a potentially adverse situation. A phlebotomist showed up at my bed and told Beau that he had to draw blood from me. Beau told him that might be, but he had to check since he had no orders for a blood draw. Upon checking, he told the lab phlebotomist to go two doors down and draw blood from the correct patient. Can you imagine the problems that could have arisen had my blood results been charted to another patient?

I could go on with many, many more examples big or small: “washing my hair”, “reassuring me”, “explaining medical terms” and “allaying my fears” but I’m running out of space to include a complete, very long list.

I now truly believe that Tampa General Hospital exceeds the expectations discussed in their TV and radio ads, thank you for saving my life.