The man in the picture is Dr. David Horst, and youve never heard of him. He didnt commit some heinous crime that would gain his entry onto the 6 oclock news. Hes not a famous actor or musician, so you wouldnt have seen his face on any magazine cover. He is a neonatologist at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at Presbyterian/St. Luke Hospital in Denver, Colorado. This man saved the life of my son Samuel when he developed a pneumothorax (collapsed lung) shortly after his birth and was flown by Air Life to the Level IV NICU at Presbyterian St Luke. The women in the next picture are nurses Kristin and Amy, two of our favorite nurses from the NICU that helped sustain his life, 24 hours a day, until he was ready to go home 8 days later. When Sam and I arrived at the hospital I was a nervous wreck. Dr. Horst seemed to notice right away, and after giving the preparation orders for the chest tube that would be inserted into my sons chest to reduce the pneumothorax, he calmly explained to me exactly what was wrong with Sam. This is serious, he said, but this is something we see every single day. This is all we do...hes going to be fine. When I called my wife (who had to be driven to Denver as she could not fly right after a C-section) to explain what the doctor had told me, I started crying out of pure relief and didnt stop for at least half an hour. I know that a collapsed lung is a serious issue...so is a flight for life on a jet from Colby, KS to Denver, CO and even more so when the flight is for a newborn baby. I had prepared myself for the worst and the relief of that moment when I was told my son was going to make it was incomprehensible. The next 8 days were hard, but made bearable by the outstanding care we received from the doctors and nurses of the NICU. This seemed to be the Big Leagues of nursing. The NICU at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children is the highest level NICU in the state of Colorado and the staff reflected that attribute in their care and professionalism. We were treated with overwhelming sympathy and kindness from the time we stepped foot in the NICU to the time we hugged nurse Amy as she helped us load Sam into the car to go home. The NICU changed the way I look at life. So often we complain about the pettiest of inconveniences or minor discomforts in our lives, but when you see the life or death struggle that goes on in the NICU it makes you reevaluate what is really important in life. We were only gone for 8 days, but during our 8 days there we missed our daughter at home like crazy. I started to feel sorry for myself until we met a couple that had been there for 5 months, and another couple that had just arrived but knew they would be there until at least January. The doctors and the nurses of the NICU are miracle workers, plain and simple. As our family doctor in Colby put it I think that being a GREAT person is just a prerequisite to working in the NICU. I couldnt agree more. Ive never been treated with such kindness and felt the overwhelming sense of love that I felt being at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children. It was the only time Ive been to a hospital that I didnt want to leave. I wanted to stay and be a part of the daily miracles that go on in that wonderful place. These peoples jobs arent easy. As I said, it is the highest level NICU in the state, and sadly a lot of the babies dont make it. But the doctors and nurses fight through the sorrow and come back day after day, saving babies lives and making the world a better place. In a society that seems to focus so much on the negative things happening in the world, I think it is important to recognize the efforts of people like this that are fighting the good fight every time they come to work. Before I left the NICU I told Dr. Horst that although I could never repay him for saving my sons life, I would do my best to pay it forward. I hope that this article serves as a starting point to fulfilling that request. I only ask that you share this story to help say thank you and bring recognition to these wonderful people. If you would also like to donate I have posted a link below to donate directly to the RMHC NICU Patients Fund (Select from drop down). Thank you for taking the time to read our story. https://coloradogives.org/index.php?section=organizations&action=newDonation&fwID=27852
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 00:01:39 +0000
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