Submitted by: Susan Finneman, BS MT(ASCP), MLT Program Coordinator, Rasmussen College-Moorhead, MN Campus
I am one of “those people” who swear that everything happens for a reason, nothing is impossible, and what goes around comes around. When an opportunity lands squarely in my lap to do something positive and make a difference in someone’s life, I’m drawn to it like a horse to water.I’ve been in the medical world for my entire adult life following college.
I graduated with a degree in Medical Technology and have loved this field since the day that I put on my first white lab coat. I’ve been fortunate enough to have rotated through all the departments, as a generalist, and then I chose my favorite area to call my own. It is Microbiology, the study of microbes aka “bugs”. FYI: I actually despise (and fear) bugs, in general, but those are the ones you can see with the naked eye! Those bugs either get scotch-taped to the wall or imprisoned under a piece of Tupperware until my husband gets home to kill them or set them free! The bugs in Micro, though, are seen under the microscope and don’t frighten me in the least.
That being said, let me get to the part about “paying it forward”:
I met and married my husband, Gene, and moved to North Dakota in 1999. I had previously enjoyed a lovely career of working in Microbiology and then teaching in a small college in Ohio. All medical, once again. I was there for 10+ years before leaving to marry Gene and move to North Dakota.
I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do in North Dakota, but I knew that I wanted to do something so that I could make some friends and participate in the community. Actually, we opened a fine dining restaurant and I put on yet another white coat. This time, I was a white- coated Pastry Chef! I loved working in my own restaurant. I found that my math skills were put to great use in the baking world where everything is “based on a formula”. It’s a creative blast to be able to dream up concoctions that people really pay for!
But, one day my reason d’être became quite clear. My step daughter, Cherie, became sick with Pulmonary Fibrosis. She was born with a hole between the ventricles of her heart and had it patched when she was only 6 months old. By the age of 3, she needed open heart surgery to fix the problem. The problem was, though, that the lungs are pretty unforgiving and remembered when they were denied enough oxygen when she was small. Cherie’s lungs became unable to supply enough oxygen for her, which lead her heart to become enlarged and to eventually spring dangerous leaks. The bottom line was that the esteemed doctors at the Mayo Clinic decided she needed a heart and lung transplant and she needed it soon. We went back and forth to Rochester, MN for 10 months: doctoring, medicating, oxygenating, waiting and praying. In the meanwhile, in order to be placed on the transplant list, Cherie needed a “caregiver”. This chosen person promises to be with the patient the entire time that they wait for their “call”: through surgery, and through all the months of recovery. This person signs a contract that they will be with the patient, essentially, for the rest of their life: close enough to watch out for their well-being, and correcting them when they need it. A very popular position to be in? No, surely not. Cherie asked me to be her “care giver”. I was honored and touched and humbled. I accepted immediately, and our journey began. This was my chance to “pay it forward”.
We were sent to Mayo/Jacksonville, Florida to await “the call”. We moved there on June 2, 2004 and moved into a residential hotel near the hospital. The visits to the doctors and support staff began and so did our daily routine. It’s very easy to get discouraged, afraid, lonely, bored, and angry. It was my job to make sure none of these feelings lasted too long. Cherie missed her son and I missed my husband, but we both knew why we were there and hung on tight to each other! Every medical thing I ever learned was tested during those times and I am so glad that I had the education that I did have!
Cherie’s “call;” came on August 4th. This was no “dry run”. This was the real thing and the surgery was a “go”. After many hours, Cherie received the gift of life from a 16 year old girl who died in an automobile accident. She received her heart and the two lungs. Essentially, the entire upper half of Cherie’s anatomy was replaced. We had many rough times ahead, several bumps in the road, a few minor bouts of rejection (which were fixable), and three (3) months of intensive recovery. I was with her the entire time, except for a short break, and it changed my life.
First, let me just say that I am very humbled that Cherie asked me to be with her through this ordeal. To me it meant that she trusted me to do the best for her, and of course, that is exactly what I did. Everything that I ever learned about laboratory testing, results and normal or abnormal values helped me to understand whatever the physicians were saying. It also helped me to translate all the medical mumbo jumbo to my husband’s family so they would know exactly what was happening. I created a daily news letter and sent it to about 25 close people: our friends and Cherie’s friends and co-workers. I was absolutely shocked when someone told me that this letter was sent to over 250 people every single day…forwarded and forwarded again. So many people cared to know how Cherie was doing and I was able to let them be part of the journey in an understandable way.
After three (3) months in Jacksonville: through the wait, the surgery, the recovery, the HOT Florida summer, and 4 hurricanes, we came home to North Dakota.
It’s been four (4) years, and we are still on the journey. Fortunately, Cherie is doing well and following “most” of my recommendations. She is taking care of herself and her son and I know, that deep in her heart, she remembers what it took to get her here. I’m proud of her and I’m very proud that she wanted me with her. I won’t forget, either.