April 30, 2012
Posted in Patient Safety

First, we talked a lot about how to get more people involved in the patient safety movement. Of the 9 people at the meeting, two are employed by consumer organizations. The rest of us had all lost a loved one to negligence, medical errors, a hospital-acquired infection, or some combination. We wondered how we could reach out to more people on the periphery. Through our foundation, we have so many wonderful supporters who donate, volunteer and spread the word, but when compared to the magnitude of the problem we remain the David starting up at Goliath. So how do we get more people involved in patient safety issues (and, more generally, qualify healthcare) in a meaningful way?

April 26, 2012

Two years ago today, we said goodbye to our mother, Peggy. The service was beautiful with friends and family participating in the Catholic funeral rites through readings, presenting the gifts and serving as Mom’s pallbearers. As Mom’s good friend Maryann said, “the Church isn’t this full on Christmas Eve!” The …

April 19, 2012

She entered the apartment and turned the corner into the living room where Christopher was lying on the couch in his boxer shorts talking on the phone. Mom looked at him and smacked the bat on the floor three times to get his attention. Christopher looked up at her with his eyes wide. Mom said: “YOU. Get up. Get your shit. And get the FUCK out!” Christopher yelled into the phone, “Holy shit! There’s a crazy lady here with a bat. Call the police.” And hung up. Mom said: “We don’t need the police. I’m not going to hurt you as long as you get your shit and get out.”

April 18, 2012

“All you have in this world is each other”, she would say. “One day, I’ll be gone and you don’t have 7 other siblings to choose from like I did growing up. You have to love each other and take care of each other.” While I’m certain she expected it to matter much later in our lives, Mom’s commitment to Liam and I having a close and strong relationship has certainly paid off. Please do watch this video and share it with others. It’s full of potentially life saving information.