This past June, my grandpa had an acute stroke, leaving the right side of his body paralyzed. From the first night in the emergency room, to the rehabilitation facility that he is in today, I have witnessed first hand the amazing people who are in the medical field and why they are the real heroes in this world.
The stroke my grandpa had caused brain damage, and with that he lost the ability to speak and move his right side. Everything on the right side of his body was affected. For the first few days after the stroke, he spent time in the emergency room, and then they moved him into the ICU to keep a constant watch to make sure there was not a second stroke. The nurses, doctors, and therapists who were watching over him in the ICU were miracle workers, to say the least. They had constant interaction with him and would come immediately if he pushed the call button and needed help. Every person who walked through the door always had a huge smile on their face and was willing to do anything they could to keep him comfortable and happy.
At first, my grandma was having to spend hours on end at the hospital because of the fact that my grandpa could not speak for himself. She stayed and made sure that everything was taken care of and that he was getting everything that he needed. She stayed at night until the shift change happened and the new nurses for the evening had arrived so she could speak to them, and she arrived early in the morning before the shift change happened again to make sure that everything was taken care of over the night. The nurses always took such care of him and truly seemed like they had his best interest at heart.
Over the past two months, I have watched my grandpa go through hell and back, and I have watched him make huge strides in the right direction. No matter the kind of day he was having or the mood he was in, the nurses and therapists were always pushing him to succeed, and he has done so. He is slowly, but surely getting his speech back with extensive therapy every day, and he is moving the right side of his body a little bit at a time. The amazing nurses he works with have given him the hope that he will completely regain his strength and mobility one day and every day he works as hard as he can to get that strength back.
Thanks to the people who work with him every day, I have come to notice that not all heroes wear capes. Not all heroes walk around looking like gods or saviors. Heroes, to me, are regular people doing their job with a passion, people who wear scrubs every day. The people who are heroes to me are the ones who have chosen the medical field as their profession. And to them, I cannot be grateful enough for taking such great care of my grandpa.
