Letter Five

November 21st, 2006

Dear Flight for Life Nurse,

I wanted to write you a letter of appreciation. Thank you for being on the life flight with Noel and I yesterday. So many thing changed so quickly that day. The doctors came in our room and told us they couldn’t do anything else for Noel. Noel needed to be seen at a higher level care hospital. They had done all they could for her here, and she needed to go to Children’s Hospital. We agreed and they told us the flight for life plane was on the way to get her.

I was so nervous and so relieved all at the same time. I knew she was sick, but was she really sick enough to warrant a flight for life flight? Then they told me, “We don’t know if you’ll be able to fly with her, it’s up to the pilot.” I started to cry right then. There’s no way I can drive 4 hours though the Colorado Mountains to get to the hospital. I don’t want to leave my little girl. The next hour as we waited for you guys to get to the hospital was full of so much emotion.

When the nurse came in the room and told us that you had arrived my heart flopped inside my body. Will he let me ride on the plane? I looked at Noel’s dad for reassurance, “You’re going to get on the plane Tina, no matter whatever it takes,” he said. We walked down the hallway just as you and the crew we’re coming around the corner. You gave me such a reassuring smile. I was ready to beg and plead, even cry my way on to that plane. The pilot so easily said, “sure you can ride with us.”

Like a well oiled machine you and the crew got everything you needed packed and loaded up in no time. I guess you could tell how nervous and uneasy I was because you looked me straight in eyes and said don’t worry I never freak out and if I am freaking out you’ll know something is wrong. I felt a little lighter after you told me that. We loaded into the ambulance and the EMT handed me a pillow and told me to put it over my incision. He said, “Here hold this against your stomach to make sure it’s safe.” 

On the plane I could barley take my eyes off the isolate that Noel was in; I so nervous. Her tiny little body lay connected to all kinds of cords. I was sitting towards the back of the plane doing all I could to keep myself calm. I don’t remember much of the flight until we started to desend over the mountains and into Denver.

That’s when we hit turbulence unlike anything I’ve experienced before. That little tiny lear jet bounced up and down and side to side. I was having a panic attack thinking we were going to crash. Then I looked up at you sitting in the seat at the front of the plane. You continued to doing your charting, just like you had been doing the whole flight.

Well, I thought to myself, “she’s not freaking out so I guess I shouldn’t be either.” Seriously thank you for reassuring me before we got on the plane. I know you probably didn’t think much for speaking those words, but to me, it gave me so much peace. My life turned upside down the past few days and your kind spirit and quite strength were such a source of reassurance for me. We’re at children’s in Denver now and I don’t know what’s next for us, but I really appreciate you helping get us here safely.

Thanks,

Tina