Reflection and Few Words of Gratitude

Yesterday was a very special day for my family.  It was my son's second birthday.  Yes, he was born on 11.12.13 and as he grows up, his friends and those who learn of his birthday will likely think that it is the coolest birth date ever. 

However, two years ago today, instead of celebrating his birth, we were praying for his survival because shortly after being born, his left lung collapsed and he was intubated. 

That was the hardest time of my life and I do not want to relive it.  However, I do want to express my deepest gratitude to doctors and nurses that went above and beyond the call of their profession to care around the clock for my son.  Within ten long and painful days, they nursed him to perfect health and he was able to come home. 

I cannot articulate the gratitude and appreciation I feel each day when I look at my little boy.  Words also cannot express the honor and exuberance I felt when I found out that EcoMed was retained for a project by the same hospital that saved my son's life.  

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them"

~ John F. Kennedy

 
It was bittersweet to walk through the main entrance of this hospital for the first time since two years ago.  And, although I didn't have to be on the second level, I couldn't help but take the East elevator up and stand in front of the NICU hoping that all the babies that are there now can follow my son's journey and go home. 

 As my mind drifted away to that breezy and sunny November of 2013, I quickly forced myself to regain composure because this time I was here for a different purpose.  There was a monumental task at hand and it required concentration and undivided attention.   
 
I took the elevator to the ground level and reunited with my crew in Radiology Department.  As always, expertly and with scientific precision they were already dismantling one of the imaging systems that had served its purpose.  With great ease, they swiftly worked with simple tools and within hours parted out an imaging table, a gantry and removed overhead ceiling rails. 
 
Dismantled parts were laying in several meticulously arranged piles on the floor.  Later, each pile will be taken to an appropriate recycling plant where it will be stripped of oils, harsh metals and reprocessed.  But now, the hallways were buzzing with patient traffic and my crew had to work around these piles.  It wasn't until 8pm that a first handmade dolly made its way out of the hospital carrying all the dismantled parts of a system that once was used for patient diagnosis.    
 
I mention simple tools and handmade dolly for a reason.  Certainly, not because I would want anyone to think that my crew operates with cavemen technology, but because I want everyone to know that we carefully choose where and how we allocate resources.  While our tools may not be as shiny and new, they function extremely well. 

It is not the tools that do the job, but the crew who expertly know how to use them.  In a race to have the latest and greatest technology, simple facts such as this one are often forgotten.  I firmly believe the reason we were awarded this project is not because of my patient experience or because my crew had the latest technology but simply because we were able to provide quality, value, timely service and deliver significant savings. 
 

After two, grueling eleven-hour days, phase one of the project was completed.  I was left alone, standing in an empty hospital hallway overwhelmed with a business sense of accomplishment and an authentic, human feeling of gratitude.  I am convinced that those who have found their true calling in life, strive to execute it with meticulous precision and the last 24 hours proved that I was on the right path. 
 
The gift of working on a project for a hospital that saved my son's life was nothing short of a blessing.  I always inspire EcoMed team to take ownership and responsibility in everything they do, but for this project in particular, I aspired to supersede even my own expectations.  I'm overjoyed to say that it was a privilege to help and improve a hospital that saved my son and I could not have done it without the help of EcoMed family.