“It didn’t bother me until I got sick last Friday.”

After thriving for decades in emergencies, an ICU clerk falls ill.

“I started here in 1986 in a part time job because my husband was sick, my mom was sick and my mother-in-law was sick. I ended up working two jobs for 10 years to help out at home. My mother-in-law watched the kids and everything so I didn’t have to cook, wash, shop or anything. All I had to do was work and pay the bills. I started in 1986 in the ICU. It’s been my home all these years and I know the emergency room on every floor in this hospital. 

The past few months I’ve had experiences that I never thought I would have. It didn't bother me until I got sick last Friday. When they took me to the testing tent, my blood pressure was 200 over 100 and something. It was really high. I had diarrhea and stomach aches. It just came on all of a sudden.” 

“Every year in June, we get new residents in our hospital. Every year, I keep their pictures in a folder. I started doing that in 1986, all the way until this year. We had lots of beautiful memories with all these generations of residents. These photos are kept in a binder here in my office.” 

- Rosa, ICU Clerk, Chicago, Illinois, USA