We Did This (and Go Red Sox)!

Maine left Massachusetts in 1820—but we remain part of Red Sox Nation.  We don’t have any of those weird mixed allegiances that Connecticut may have living so close to that other city.  We are tried and true, dyed-in-the-wool fans.  In fact, many of the men here already had beards—and have for years.

C has gotten into the spirit this year as well.  However, I think she primarily likes to say “Dustin Pedroia” over and over again.

I was listening to WBZ1030 on my way into work this morning (yes, I listen to Boston radio).  Carl Stevens is their resident poet and a great reporter to boot.  He wrote a fantastic poem about the Red Sox:  This part particularly resonated with me as I drove in:

“This team has done more than just make us cheer.
They remind us all of what’s possible here.
When we work hard in selfless endeavor,
We call all do things we’ll be proud of forever.”

Soon after I heard this poem, we had our monthly staff meeting at AHA here in Scarborough.  Carrie always asks if we have something inspirational to share. Rita, our Quality Improvement guru shared this story that she received via email last week:

…a local ambulance was called for a 79 year old woman with arm and leg weakness on one side. Upon arrival, EMS found an alert clear headed woman sitting in a chair with no ability to move her left side, slurred speech, tongue deviation, facial droop, hypertensive with Atrial-fibrillation.  She takes no medications, lives alone, and is otherwise quite healthy

She was not in any pain and the rest of the EMS assessment was unremarkable (normal).  The EMTs on scene initiated rapid transport and immediately notified the small rural hospital that they were enroute with a “Code Stroke”,  that the person was “last seen normal” about 45 minutes earlier. They did a thrombolytic clearance questionnaire, an EKG 12 lead, IV Bag and then she went directly to Cat Scan, all in about 55 minutes.  The woman was given IVrt-PA (the only FDA approved clot busting drug for ischemic strokes) within the 2 hour limit and had a neurological consult with a larger stroke care facility - EMS transferred the patient to the larger hospital’s ICU in record time.

For rural Maine this is a phenomenal leap forward and indicates that the work being done on stroke education & treatment is indeed working!

Rita ended by using one of AHA’s mantras:  “We Did This!”  The medical care this patient received was 20 years in the making and based on research funded by AHA and policies developed by AHA.  That means that every one of us and anyone reading this blog who takes action or donates money can truly say:  “We Did This!”

I am sure that patient would thank you if she could.  They are alive and going to make a full recovery because of us.

Now, back to baseball:

To once again quote Carl Stevens:  “So as the Series begins let’s rattle and fuss ‘cuz these men with red socks are playing for us; and just like those hairy guys in ’04, this bearded bunch will open the door to another bright New England day as they, like those idiots, blow the Cardinals away.”  Full poem can be found here:  http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/10/23/carl-stevens-journal-red-sox-world-series-preview-poem/