Hi all….wanted to share the email we received from IU Neuro Critical Care…thank you to everyone who helped us (Nick) make this possible…..
Stacy and Mark,
I am glad to share with you the specialized high back chairs have been delivered and are in patient rooms on the neuro critical care unit. I was up there today, and I’ve attached one picture and one video of the final product (this is taken outside a patient room to protect the privacy of the patients who are there). That’s Amy Brower in the background – I promised not to get too much of her in the video. J
Let me share from my personal account that these chairs are anything but standard. They are remarkable for patients (and families) who have experienced trauma and are trying desperately to heal. The arm rests are covered with germ resistant, non-slip rubber. The material and padding is germ resistant, anti-tear and composed of a sensitive hybrid “cloth”. The chairs have “flex” to them offering an amenity that patients (and families who spend many hours bedside) have never known. They pivot slightly back and forth which results in a higher level of safety for a fragile patient. And, although I can’t send you pictures or video of them in use from today due to patient confidentiality and our respect for the families there, I had the great pleasure of seeing with my own eyes the patients who are using them.
It brought tears to my eyes:
One was a young man, who under his physician’s orders, isn’t allowed to sit in a “normal” chair given its rigidity, but because of these specialized high back chairs, he was able to move out of his bed for reprieve. (I heard this story directly from the unit manager.)
Another, a middle-aged patient who used the specialized chair for 13 hours straight because laying in a bed was so painful after the injuries the individual sustained. (I heard this word-for-word from the nurse today on the unit.)
Yet another, what appeared to be a mom in the specialized chair dosing off holding the patient’s hand as she rest unaware of her surroundings.
These chairs have already made a difference, and the spirit of Thanksgiving and our efforts to uplift Nick’s legacy is alive and well. I’m inspired. I hope this note provides some degree of comfort as I know holidays are very hard. The way Nick lived and how he related to all kinds of different people is being carried out over the Thanksgiving holiday here at Methodist Hospital. Many families will spend tomorrow here and will have an added level of comfort because of your generous gift in his honor.
When the time is right, we should find a way to share this with those who attended the music fest and other donors along the way.
Warmly,
