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Tuesday, July 15, 2014

A perfect gift

Today I wrote a short "thinking of you" note to a friend who has had some surprising health issues in the last couple of months. She wrote back almost immediately - to tell me that at that moment she was in a green hospital gown and waiting for a CT scan. I know that she hasn't shared her concerns with many people and I was pleased that my email reached her at a time when she needed to know that she is not alone.

I must be getting old because my immediate reaction was wonderment at how far technology has brought us. My second reaction was gratitude. In the last six weeks I have spent lots of time in the ER and clinic waiting rooms and have even been admitted overnight to the hospital. Through it all I have been able to stay in touch with friends and family, surf the internet, read books and play games using the free wi-fi service at the hospital. The ability to stay connected and to reproduce my out-of-hospital life has made a big difference to me during my short visits. I can only imagine how important it must be to people who are forced to remain in hospital for much longer periods.

The installation of the wi-fi service at the hospitals was paid for by a grant from two families. They wanted to support something which would be a benefit to many patients and their families. Based on my recent experience their innovative gift has met that goal. Thank you, Gauthier and David families.

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