CHRIS’S GOOD NEWS BLOG

I work as a hospital orderly/porter/attendant or whatever they are called in your part of the world.
In the course of my work I see many sights, both good and bad, on a daily basis but some stick in my mind and will stay with me forever. Here is my latest “magical moment” just a few days before Christmas.

A young man in his late teens arrived at the hospital after a terrible car crash which had left him with severe head injuries. The team in the emergency department did a magnificent job, stabilizing the young patient and eventually he was admitted to the Intensive care unit where he spent several weeks in a coma.
Eventually he had recovered sufficiently to be woken up and after another few days was deemed ok for transfer to a general ward.
After a few more weeks of treatment he slowly became more aware and responsive and a positive outcome was expected.

One day, as I walked into the ward I noticed a lot of people, including the young man’s family, standing in the corridor outside his room. I asked one of the nurses what was happening. She told me to quietly wait and see.

After a few minutes the young man was wheeled into the corridor in his wheelchair by a physio and the brakes were applied. The silence in that corridor was deafening. Family, nurses, doctors and I, had all stopped what we were doing and watched.
The young man, with the help of the physio then slowly got to his feet. After a few moments he asked the physio to let go. He took a deep breath and then took his first few, faltering steps since the accident.
The smile on his face was incredible and truly a thing to remember forever.
The reaction of the family and all the onlookers was unbelievable.
Firstly there was a quietness from everyone as they willed him on, then the smiles as he started to move and then, of course the applause, the cheers and finally the tears of joy. Not a dry eye in the house.
He still has a way to go for full recovery but has passed a major milestone on the journey.
I love my job and have many memories of the past and, hopefully, many to come in the future but this is one magical moment that I will take with me to the grave.
As his mother said to me later, Christmas is a few days early this year..

Have a great Christmas everyone and please, drive carefully.