0 Stone cancelled cruise - hospital staff incredible

Stone cancelled cruise -- hospital staff incredible

Last month, McCrabby posted a blog about how our cruise, our first planned vacation in about four years, got cancelled by a kidney stone bout (talk about crabby), which occurred about eight hours before our take-off for the Caribbean.  (A personal story - the stone that cancelled the cruise) 

In that article, a promise was made to provide an update on hospital roommates and hospital staff.  Since McCrabby has hit the emergency room twice more in the past month, and since he hasn't taken the time (in between bouts of being doubled over in pain) to put detail to paper, it's been decided that today is the day, and the hospital staff comes first.  You'll see why.

Thank you, Becky (might be her real name, might not).  When people are in the hospital, they are vulnerable, depressed, nervous, or scared, and ill-at-ease.  Becky understands that, as does Amy (mentioned in previous post), the P-nurse.

This is a McCrabby shout-out, a tribute if you will, to St. Mary's Hospital, in Livonia, MI for it's staff.  While the doctors were good, the support staff, the nursing, administrative and housekeeping staffs were incredible.

Becky made the McCrabby hospital stay fun, or enjoyable, OK, tolerable.     

After a visit to the E.R., McCrabby was assigned a room about 3:30 a.m.  Becky was the first RN assigned, and the first of a terrific group of staff to care for MC in the hospital.  It's hard to single out an individual nurse, or aide, or support staff, because they were all great, without exception.

But, Becky learned of the McCrabby cruise plans (probably from some incoherent babbling under the influence of Dilaudid), and not only did she offer excellent care, she began the attempt to shorten the McCrabby stay, so that we might have a chance to still take our cruise.  

Becky knew that McCrabby needed minor surgery in the morning, so she called the doctor and convinced him to make MC his first "procedure" of Monday morning (maybe there would be a later available flight and the McCrabbys could still board the ship before it left).   She alerted other nursing staff to the "cruise goal" and everyone was pulling for McCrabby and Mrs. M to finish  "procedures" early and catch a flight to Miami.  

In fact, almost everyone that cared for MC during the stay seemed to know of the interrupted cruise plans and all seemed to be on board (excuse the pun) to help the McCrabbys get there, if at all possible.

So, allow McCrabby to break from the tradition of this blog, to recognize the entire staff of St. Mary's hospital, every nurse, every aid, every housekeeper, every administrator, and even the doctors, as Becky's efforts seemed to be contagious.  While the efforts they put forth did not produce the results desired (we never did get to that cruise), it was not for a lack of trying or a lack of commitment to service and humanity on the part of these dedicated people.

The cruise?  


Here's the summary.  McCrabby and the missus did not make it, as it would have cost an extra $600 to change our air tickets.  And, McCrabby ended up back in the ER the next night anyway, so it would have just been more cash out the window.  But, that doesn't lessen the efforts put forth by St. Mary's team..  They tried and they were great.  Thank you, Becky.  Thank you, Amy, and thank you to everyone else.  


Regarding our travel partners??  After consideration, American Airlines provided vouchers for full airfares, usable any time in the next year -- very nice of them.  

The cruise line, Royal Caribbean, was less generous.  They did allow a 50% credit on a future cruise, but all things considered, they'll make more money, even at half-price.  Yes, there is trip insurance, but it could not be purchased AFTER the trip was paid for (which was done by the McCrabby offspring), and Royal Caribbean seemed much less caring than American Airlines.  

McCrabby always marvels at a statement like "We CAN’T do anything else for you,"      REALLY? You CAN’T? There is NO WAY you can help us? NONE? Your company has NO WAY to show humanity in a difficult situation?  You can't look at all the facts, realize that you were already paid 100 per cent for an entire cruise that didn't cost you a nickel (the cruise ship was not full), and have some empathy?  McCrabby promised to let readers know how this came out - and he went back twice to plead the case to Royal Caribbean... if fell on  deaf ears.  I told readers here, and I told Royal Caribbean, that I would let people know what they came up with (good or bad), so now you know.


McCrabby is certainly pleased that Becky and Amy and the rest of the St. Mary's staff didn't take that attitude.  Thanks, Becky -- your Daisy Award nomination is being submitted on June 26.  I wish I could nominate the entire nursing staff.

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You gotta love that hospital garb