I witnessed an act of kindness that went beyond the ordinary the other day. It involved a woman sitting on a bench in the parking deck, looking a little frustrated, and my teammate, Roy Roberts. Although I could not hear the conversation, I knew it involved Roy helping her find her way to an appointment. It is an all too familiar situation that our teammates encounter almost daily on our way into work. I thought nothing of it because Roy was with her, and it is not unusual to observe Roy happily helping patients get to their appointments. No big deal, I thought. Moving forward.... I parked my car and made my way to the elevator. I noticed that Roy had this lady in a wheelchair at the ASC Check-In Desk. Roy had gotten her a wheelchair because she had become fatigued and could not walk from the parking deck to the Desk. The story doesn't stop there. The patient was not listed for a procedure at the ASC, so Roy took her by wheelchair to her MD office located in the Lanier Building. They finally figured out where she was supposed to be; you guessed it, she was at the wrong facility. The patient was unable to make contact with her transport person, and Roy tried unsuccessfully to get the hospital police to take her over to the nearby facility. So, Roy got his truck and He himself transported the patient to the other facility so she could make it to her procedure, and she made it on time. And without a blink, Roy was back at work as if "nothing special had happened on his way to his office".
Too often, we overlook simple acts of kindness and sometimes tend to expect them. I should have written this letter sooner because I can recall many situations where Roy went "above and beyond" to help patients and even fellow teammates.