The Voices of Saratoga Hospital is a series of stories. A collection of shared moments and insights to help us all understand a little bit more about health – and care – close to home.
It was scary. Some patients go straight to the ICU, but a lot of them come to our floor first, and it's crazy how many would then end up in the ICU within hours, some within the next day or two.
And then we would wait for them to come back to us…
I had lived a life of addiction for many years. And, it took some time for me to finally wake up and say, "Hey, this isn't working. This is a problem. I'm not going to live if I continue down this path.”
This is a disease that prefers you be in the dark by yourself…
If somebody is not feeling well, how do you fix it? That's what it means, right, to palliate, to support, to treat symptoms. It's not taking away care. It's actually adding more care, specialized care for seriously ill people to help them and their families. And I always accentuate their families. Being in this space with people where it's just so vulnerable and raw. It's such a humbling experience to be in that space. It’s an honor...
My first surgery here at Saratoga Hospital, I walked into the OR, and all of a sudden, I got a text message and there was the picture of the scheduling board, and it said, Reynolds in room four and Reynolds in room five. My brother was in the OR right next to me.
That first day was really special…