The real ER!

Recently I traveled back home to NYC to be with a very close relative who has been diagnosed with liver cancer. Not the best reason to return home but nonetheless it was good to be back. It rained everyday except the first day we were there so the weather didn't help matters. Originally, we thought it was stomach cancer as the doctors had to remove 1/3 of her stomach to remove a tumor. But, we later learned that the stomach tumor was caused by the liver cancer.

During our visit we had to rush to the emergency room early one morning as my relative went into diabetic shock. It wasn't fun and was pretty scary. During one of the long hours while we were waiting for test results I captured this moment. As you can tell by the reason for my visit and this image it is nothing like the television drama. When we arrived they were working on a "crazy" guy who kept trying to "escape" before his bleeding wounds were treated (he looked like he had been hit by a car). And, everyone also rushed to one of the rooms down the hall from us as we could hear that the heart monitor had stopped and that person had "redlined." Not a fun time. But, the people were very nice (especially for New Yorkers) and despite the wee hours of the morning and all that was going on they came across as having a genuine concern for my relative. God bless the men and women who have given their lives to save the lives of others!