I Just Came Back From The Emergency Room
I'm afraid my trip was business. A three year old child died on the way home from daycare. Usually when I go to the emergency room to get a body, it's an elderly person, or someone who had a heart attack or other life-ending episode. This time it was a small boy, and the family was still there. I had to talk to them to find out how they wanted to handle the arrangements, whether they wanted burial or cremation or visitation. It was a very difficult conversation, and frankly, it was one I would rather not had to engage in. I was hoping the owner would talk to them, but he let me handle it for better or worse because it's the only way I'll learn. The family decided on full service cremation with a funeral mass, so we will be preparing the body in the morning.
posted by Granimore | 10:01 PM
5 Comments:
That is so sad.
Yes, it was. I walked into the emergency room, consulted with the nurse, got all my paperwork and such, then went to the family. The mother was sitting in the examining room just holding and rocking her baby back and forth. That was the hardest time I've ever had talking with a family.
Wow. That's rough.
Yeah, it was probably the worst removal I've made so far.
Terrible. I remember my boss telling me he had a house removal like that once, a 5 year old who died of leukemia. When he arrived at the home, the mother was sitting on the bed rocking the boy. When it came time to put him on the stretcher she wouldn't let go. He said it was the hardest first call he ever did, because the boy was 5 - the same age of his son, and there was a big resemblance in hair color, facial features, eyes. The mother even reminded him of his wife in an uncanny way. He said once he got the boy in the van and pulled out of the driveway, he made a few turns down the road and parked, called his wife and burst into tears.
Paul
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