Home Care Stories
Father of the Bride
Anticipation filled the air. It was the day before his youngest daughter's wedding. The groom's family was beginning to arrive from Alaska and friends of the couple were coming from all over the country. It was mid October and a tent was erected in the front yard to host the ceremony and reception. The sides of the tent were waiting to be hung in anticipation of a crisp New England fall Saturday. The wedding ceremony was to take place in a clearing before a small lake in the family's back yard. By far the trickiest task of this busy day was keeping the ring bearer, a Golden Retriever named Cedar, out of the water until the ceremony was over. The house was buzzing with activity. Later that day, the wedding rehearsal and dinner would be held, filling the house with young people, family, friends, soon to be in-laws and dogs.
From his bedroom, the father of the bride, a tall, strong, retired Army medic was orchestrating the last minute preparations while keeping organized and calm amid circumstances that a bystander might mistake as a circus. Between phone calls to finalize last minute wedding details, directives to his son about where to find the black shoe polish, a funny story about drinking "poison" while stationed in Alabama, and granting permission for the dog to be bathed in his shower, Art was busy making other plans. All of these pressing plans and activities were being made from his bed. The day after his daughter's wedding, Art, a diabetic, was scheduled to have corrective surgery on his foot at the Wound Care Center in Portsmouth, NH, followed by a one to two-month stay at a rehabilitation center 100 miles from home.
"I feel like a pinwheel," Art explained, as Joy, one of his favorite home care nurses from Lake Sunapee Region VNA changed the bandage on his foot. Joy came twice a day to Art's home to provide wound care and to monitor other medical aspects of his diabetes. Amid all the preparations for his daughter's wedding, Art paused to accommodate Joy's shifting, lifting, and attention to his foot. When she was finished wrapping Art's foot in a clean bandage, he paused on the phone to facilitate a blood pressure reading and an examination of a previously jammed IV pack. The phone rang again, this time it was the doctor's office calling to confirm arrangements for the next day. Like a pinwheel, life's daily activities spun continuously from this bedroom.
Joy had agreed to come extra early the next day to make sure that her visit would not interrupt the wedding festivities nor Art's enjoyment of the day. When an unassigned errand was discovered, Joy offered to pick up the necessary item on her way back by the house. According to Art, Joy and the rest of the home care team, helped to mellow the frenetic pace and brought peace and comfort as well as professional medical skill. He explained, "they know and care what they're doing."
If not for the availability of skilled, professional home care staff, Art might never have received the type of care he needed from the comfort and privacy of his home. If not for Joy and the care and services provided by Lake Sunapee Region Visiting Nurse Association, this bride might have walked down the isle alone and this father of the bride might have had to experience his daughter's wedding through photos. Instead, "it was the best wedding ever" and from the smile shining on his face in the pictures, nobody could argue. Thanks to the presence, skill and dedication of the home care nurses and staff, life for this father of the bride barely skipped a beat.
Footnote:
Art H., the father of the bride, returns to Portsmouth in early March
for further re-constructive surgery. According to a note from his wife,
"He'll be dancing by the next wedding! Without you guys (Lake Sunapee Region
VNA), this would never have happened! Thank you from the bottom of our
hearts!"
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