Carol Dodds’ life changed thanks to the skill of a heart surgeon and the generosity of people she doesn’t know.
Blessing Hospital cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. John Arnold, recently performed a quadruple bypass on the Plymouth, IL, resident so that her heart could resume its ability to effectively pump life-giving, oxygen-rich blood.
Donors to The Blessing Foundation then invested in Carol’s recovery.
“I used to sleep on a 40-year-old mattress and box spring on the floor,” said the former nurse.
Without a bed frame, as her health deteriorated she could not get off the mattress. “So I slept in a desk chair,” Carol stated.
Her sleeping options threatened to tear her incision and increase the risk for infection. So the Blessing Hospital Cardiovascular Unit (CVU) care team and discharge planner Donna Winters worked to give Carol the help she needed to recover.
Donna requested that The Blessing Foundation provide funds to rent a hospital bed for Carol to use in her home for 30 days.
“Everyone in the Blessing Health System practices good stewardship,” said Ann Awerkamp Dickson, Administrative Coordinator, The Blessing Foundation. “In this case it was clear that for a similar investment the situation could be addressed on a long term basis.”
So, from donations made to the Blessing Heart & Vascular Center restricted fund, a new box spring and mattress were purchased for Carol from Ashley HomeStore in Quincy. The new bed would sit on a bed frame donated by a Blessing nurse.
“When I went into her room to tell her, I’ve never seen such a look of shock,” Donna recalled of sharing the news with Carol. ‘You’re going to buy me a bed?’ she said to me. The surprise on her face was heart-warming,” Donna described.
“I cannot begin to describe how wonderful it is to lay down,” Carol said. “No one knows how wonderful it is unless they have slept in a desk chair for a couple of months.”
Ashley HomeStore provided a discount to increase the value of the donation.
“We do a breast cancer awareness fundraiser for Blessing each year,” said Lonnie Brown, sales manager, about the store’s relationship with Blessing and its involvement in this effort. “We want to keep the relationship good.”
In addition to help secure Carol’s new bed, that good relationship has meant a donation of more than $26,000 from Ashley HomeStore to the Blessing Breast Services fund over the past four years.
To promote her safe recovery, Carol could not be discharged from the hospital until she had her new bed at home. In order to get her home as soon as possible, two Blessing employees – Dell Williams of the Maintenance Department and Damion Dodd of Construction – volunteered to get up early one Saturday morning to load up the box spring and mattress in Quincy and set up the new bed in Carol’s home in Plymouth.
“I don’t mind helping those in need,” said Damion. “Life has a funny way of shifting the balance at times and I never know when I may be in need some sort of assistance. It was clear this was a need and I am glad that Dell and I were able to help.”
“Patients first because ICARE,” said Dell, repeating the phrase Blessing Hospital caregivers follow when carrying out their daily duties. “It makes me feel good to help others. I think that is why a lot of us choose to work at Blessing Hospital. Each of us is a very small piece of the puzzle. But it takes every piece to make the puzzle whole.”
Dr. Arnold told Carol she was healing more quickly than he would have imagined and is further along in returning to her normal activities than he expected.
Carol credits her recovery to a wonderful doctor, the wonderful staff of the CVU, the wonderful donors of The Blessing Foundation, and a good night’s sleep.
“They have changed my life in a very great way,” she exclaimed.