As seems to always be the case, leads pop into my head at 1:45 a.m. and I can't sleep without getting it out. My greatest worry lately has been keeping the attention of my audience and hopefully this narrative style (aimed at Athens Magazine readers) will grab hold. I know it doesn't say much, but I'm going to take my other work and put it in here when it's not 2:40 a.m.
We always have called my grandmother "Nomie," because it was easy to say when we were little. But the day my mom called me to tell me Nomie went to the hospital, she could barely choke out her name.
"I have to tell you something," my mom said.
"What is it? What's wrong," I replied.
There was a long pause and through the tears she managed to deliver the blow.
"Where is she?" I asked
"Athens." she stammered back at me.
"Athens what? Athens Regional? Or St. Mary's?"
"Athens."
"OK so Athens Regional, what's wrong with her?"
I could hardly control my thoughts at this point and my mother had no solid answers for me. I knew she had been admitted on Sunday and this was a Tuesday. Numbness and slurred speech. What causes numbness and slurred speech? I wish I had that medical degree.
"When are you coming up?"
"After work."
"OK, I'll be there."
I drove up to the hospital that I had grown accustomed to. You see, I am a concerned grandchild by night, and medical journalist in training by day. I had chosen area hospitals as my beat for the semester and had visited Athens Regional Medical Center no less than five times already. Before then, I had only been to the hospital twice before: once to see my other grandmother and the other time was when I was born. I could remember vividly the last time I had visited -- just four days prior.
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"A hospitalist is a doctor that spends most of their time treating patients in a hospital setting," I remembered from a journal article as I mentally prepped myself for my interview. "Patients come under the care of the hospitalist when they are admitted to the hospitalist -- provided their primary care providers choose this option."
"I've got this, I should quit worrying," I thought.
Arriving at Athens Regional right on time, my head was whirling full of questions. I was here to interview Dr. Chris Edwards, director of hospital medicine for ARMC.
As I came into his office, I noted that the office afforded to Dr. Edwards' was nothing too spectacular for a hospital that served so much of Northeast Georgia. As he sat in between two desks, he seemed awkwardly close to his computer. Dr. Edwards was here to explain to me his passion for being a hospitalist as well as how the whole system worked, but as the conversation continued, I even heard a little about his love for the Florida Gators.
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4 comments:
I met one of the hospitalists at ARMC the other day at the Mercy Clinic. His name is Migel, and he volunteers his time at Mercy as well as the Good News Clinic in Gainesville. That 7 days on, and 7 days off seems to work well for that.
I like what you've written about straddling the roles of loving family member and journalist researching a story. You've got good material to pull from for your feature article, as well as a personal recollection about this family crisis. I hope your grandmother will make a good recovery.
This post also reminds about how seductive jargon can be -- not just for you but all of us. A term like "hospitalist" slows the reader's eye every time it's used, despite being the focus of the story. Avoid echoes by mixing in alternative wordings such as "doctors in this specialty," "these doctors," "such physicians."
I think this is a great lead. It keeps the reader wanting to know more about the situation. Good job.
Your story about your grandmother is very powerful. I love the narrative that you are developing and will be sure to mention the article to Margaret tomorrow p.m.
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