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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Angels of Mercy


A few years ago, Dave, a dear friend, went through a terrible throat surgery and long hospitalization. Though he's a professional motivational speaker who frequently talks about the power of positive thinking, he told me he was surprised to really see how much his attitude affected the amount of mental anguish and physical pain he experienced. Even more, he was surprised how much his attitude was affected by the attitudes of the health care workers he saw each day.

"You could just feel the difference between the few who genuinely cared about you as a person and those who thought of you as one of their daily burdens," Dave said. Unfortunately, the majority of men and women who came in and out of his room were coldly indifferent. They treated him as a medical problem rather than as a person suffering from a medical problem and he found the experience demoralizing, depressing and deeply disrespectful.

Many doctors and nurses seemed annoyed by his presence and his problems. They would often talk about his condition in front of him as if he weren't there. Most failed to demonstrate the slightest concern with the effect their callous words and demeanor might have on their patient. Dave found this attitude outright toxic.

In contrast, the few workers who went out of their way to lift his spirits and brighten his day with simple but sincere expressions of concern and encouragement weren't just good medical professionals. They were good people. These "angels of mercy" who bring their hearts to their work, knowing that mental sunshine and flowers can be as important as drugs, deserve our love and admiration.

Remember, character counts!

Michael Josephson
www.charactercounts.org