Exemplary care — It’s what Richmond Hospital is all about

I wanted to share this message with everyone at Richmond Hospital. Heather Thomson, the letter-writer, let me know that there were many, many people who helped to make this end-of-life experience a positive one for this family. Each of them is truly appreciated for your kind, compassionate care.

Thank you to everyone for always being there for residents of Richmond.

Natalie Meixner

Richmond Hospital Foundation

“It doesn’t get any better than this”

I wanted to share my recent experience at the hospital and how incredibly wonderful and amazing the medical teams are in both the Emergency Department and the ICU.

A week and a half ago, I had to rush my 80 year old friend/neighbor, Elisabeth, to hospital by ambulance and within 10 minutes of arriving she went into cardiac arrest. Thankfully, they got her back quickly but unfortunately, she’s not been well for a few years and with new complications, they had to place her on life support and in an induced coma. Her family lives in Arizona and Las Vegas, and arrived as quickly as possible while another friend and I stayed with her.

Over the next two days, Elisabeth’s doctors compassionately delivered their medical findings to the family and were able fulfill the family’s request to take her off life support and ease her out of the coma, so she could connect with her family once more. Since I’d been helping to look after Elisabeth and we were friends as well as neighbors, I had the privilege of being there, even though I am not family. It was so beautiful to see her smile, touch and communicate with her two daughters, son-in-law and five beautiful granddaughters (ages 7 to 25) over a period of two days. As hard as it was to face the inevitable, this last gift they shared with doctors and nurses sticking close by, was the best lasting gift that we could have ever hoped for. Elisabeth passed away with love in her heart and peace of mind with family by her side.

I spent many hours at the hospital during those six days and observed all the staff working so hard for Elisabeth and the other patients in ICU. Again, I see how Richmond Hospital has improved greatly over the years and come so far with technology, knowledge, passion and care for every patient that comes through those doors. I can’t express enough gratitude for all they did for my dear friend Elisabeth and how they supported her family, especially her closest daughter, through such a difficult time.

Knowing how hard the Hospital Foundation and its team works to support this level of care makes it even more impactful for me, as you can well imagine.

So, a HUGE THANK YOU to the foundation’s team and ALL the care providers at Richmond Hospital. It doesn’t get any better than this – people who genuinely care about their community and go the extra mile for those in need.

Warmest regards,

Heather Thomson