"As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person." Proverbs 27:19
A couple of nights ago, I was drying off the veggie spiralizer we got to convert things like zucchini into noodles. I was startled to see my index finger begin dripping blood. The sharp cutting blade had neatly severed a chunk off the side. My friend helped with the first aid needed because it was late in the evening and I baulked at going to the hospital with an injury they couldn't do much about. There's not enough extra skin on a finger for closing such a gap.
The next day, she headed off for a couple of day's quality family time with her children and grandchildren. She left a list of strict instructions to follow regarding keeping my finger dry and clean and something about not overdoing it.
Around supper, I decided to change the dressing. It was extremely uncooperative in coming off. It started to bleed something fierce again. I decided to go to the hospital and have it looked at and, more importantly, dressed with something that wouldn't stick to the wound. As a non-emergency, it took several hours for the doctor to see me.
I was right, they couldn't do any sort of stitches but they told me how to look after it and what to watch for should there be any sort of infection. As an added bonus, they updated my tetanus shot just in case.
It's funny, how a sense of urgency filled my soul to go there in the first place.
As I was waiting to be seen a young man came in complaining of pain. He was saying some rather strange things out loud. I believe there may have been some sort of mind altering substance running through his veins.
He ended up sitting a couple of chairs away from my little corner of safety. He continued to make loud and rather strange comments to no one in particular. I admit I was a bit startled and unsure of him. But, in the midst of his confusion, he showed kindness, gratitude and respect towards the triage nurses.
He was having a hard time grasping the long wait times to see a doctor. His agitation was clearly made known to no one in particular. He turned to me and asked if he was being too loud.
Something about him reached into my heart. I began to talk with him. He shared that his father had recently passed away in the hospital. I also found out he had lost his mom as well. I figure he was in his late teens or early twenties. We talked a long time and even shared a laugh.
It wasn't long before I was reaching into my purse for a work business card and told him if he ever needed to talk, to stop on by. It started a slew of questions about who the Krasman Centre was named for and what a peer support worker is.
He had heard about us feeding the homeless and people struggling with addictions who he deemed utterly useless. I was able to share that, sometimes, people just needed a hand up to start them on a journey towards a better life.
Everyone in the emergency department was listening to our conversation.
When I finally got called in a couple of hours later, we gave each other a fist bump. He thanked me for talking to him.
There was still a long wait in the cubicle. The doctor came and checked out my wound then left to give the nursing staff his instructions.
The male nurse who had been working in triage was now on wound duty. He had been the one who had triaged the young man. He thanked me for what I had done, for having helped the situation. He said that this young man frequently used the emergency department as a touchstone, a place of human connection.
I had a hard time not crying when I heard that.
The nurse asked who I was so I repeated who I worked for and what I did. He thanked me again for the kindness I'd shown.
As I left, the young man was still waiting. He'd been dozing in his chair but he woke when the door opened. He smiled at me and offered another fist bump. I told him to take care of himself then left. It was nearly midnight by then.
I have caught a glimpse of what my co-workers do every day. The Krasman centre is involved with a pilot project at two Toronto hospitals. The final goal is to have mental health and addictions peer support workers in every single emergency department in Ontario (to start.) Every day they make a difference in someone's life by just being there for them when maybe, like this young man, they have nobody else to turn to in times of crises.
I truly believe God placed the urgency in my heart to go to the hospital last night instead of the night before. Yes, my finger needed seeing to but more importantly, this young man needed someone who saw him for who he was...a lost boy in a man's body.
I don't know if I'll ever see him again but that's okay. I pray he will get the help he needs. I also pray for the other people in the emergency room that our conversation changed their own attitudes towards people who struggle with mental health and substance use. In Jesus' name, AMEN.
