Thank You #1

At the writing retreat I attended in January, one of the assignments we had was to write a letter to someone.  It could be something we intended to send to the recipient or a letter that would remain totally private.  I didn't even have to think twice about who I would write to.  Since Tessa's death, I've thought a lot about the people we came in contact with over the three days of her life.  For some reason, I often find myself thinking of the man and woman who transported me via ambulance from Kaiser Redwood City to Kaiser Santa Clara so I could join Tessa (who had been transported earlier in the day) during her stay in the NICU.  I've wanted to thank them for so long (you'll see why in the letter), but I always put it off.

One day I mustered up some motivation to start investigating.  I couldn't remember the names of the ambulance folks, so I e-mailed my doctor and asked if there was any way she could find out their names by looking back at my medical records.  Now, I can't even begin to tell you how often my medical team goes above and beyond for me (like taking time out of their busy days to investigate a request like this), but I told her why I wanted to know and she got right on it!  The next day, she e-mailed me their last names and the name of the company they work for.  Incredible!  I haven't officially tracked them down (who knows, they may not still work for the ambulance company), but I fully intend to get this thank you letter to them.  

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Dear DB and JH, 

You met me once, a couple of years ago, on August 20, 2011.  I had just given birth to my first baby the day before.  You had a simple job . . . to transfer me onto a gurney at Kaiser Redwood City, load me into the back of an ambulance, drive me to Kaiser Santa Clara, and leave me with the lovely folks in the Mothers and Babies unit.  You ended up doing so much more than just your job.

You made me laugh during one of the scariest days of my life.  You told me about how you two had just become partners and how you got along so well from the start.  You teased one another, which made me relax and giggle along with you.  When we arrived at the hospital in Santa Clara, you didn't have the faintest idea where to take me.  You rolled me around the quiet hospital wings.  It was deserted (I remember it was a Sunday), and we were clearly in the wrong place.  It turned into a funny game and our laughter echoed through the empty patient waiting room areas.  We tried one hallway, only to reach a dead end and have to turn around.  You must have been rolling me around on that silly gurney for a good 15 minutes before we found the Mothers and Babies Unit.  

I can't explain why I think of the two of you so often.  I think it's because it was the only time I laughed that day and in many days and weeks to come.  I've always wanted to say thank you to you.  You gave me two amazing gifts that day: you gave me laughter and you delivered me to be with my daughter, Tessa, before she died two days later.   These two simple gifts made such a big difference to me. 

I am forever grateful.

Sincerely,

Georgia Walton