A Lot Going On

I know I tend to take a lot of breaks from posting these days, but I've been quite busy lately.  Not least on my list of worries and stresses: my father-in-law was in a farming accident on the other side of the Blue Mountains in La Grande, Ore. 

This is where we spent our night last Wednesday: Providence St. Mary Medical Center Emergency, Trauma One.  Here the ultrasound technician is attempting to find a large enough vein to put an IV in his arm so he can be transported via Life Flight to Portland, Ore., for surgery.  My father-in-law is half-asleep on the bed, lying flat, covered by heated blankets and an air pumped plastic wrapping filled with heated air.  It was quiet, so we just watched the medical professionals do their work.

Though my father-in-law is still in a major hospital in Portland, Ore., he is doing a bit better and is no longer in the ICU (intensive care unit).  We spent the weekend there with family.

Kudos to the staff at Providence St. Mary Medical Center; they never made us feel as though we were in the way as we watched them work, and did what they could to make my father-in-law comfortable.  They also worked quickly and got Life Flight on their way as soon as they could.  This hospital is where I gave birth to my daughter, and I would recommend it to anyone who needs medical care in the WW Valley.