BY LANNI MASZEROWSKI Inmy Own Words
When my neurologist called me at my summer school program and told me I needed to go to the emergency department, I was in disbelief. But I’m not one to ignore a doctor, so I drove on over to Rochester General Hospital after work was over. “A hospital can be a scary place. But I never felt that.” I checked into the emergency department assuming they’d look me over, tell me I was fine, and I’d be home by dinner. Twelve hours and four MRIs later, I had two RGHneurologists telling me that they found a lesion on my spine and I was being admitted. Before that day, I didn’t know what a “lesion” even was. But they explained everything to me
with understanding, empathy, and intelligence. They helped me understand that, while my condition was extremely serious, the hospital staff members would do everything they could to help me. The standard of care demonstrated by those two neurologists set a fantastic precedent for the care that I continued to receive during my two-week stay. Every treatment, every procedure, every test, every medication was explained to me kindly and clearly by staff that didn’t mind me constantly asking questions about the science behind whatever they were doing. I am extremely grateful for the staff I worked with during my stay for helping me stay positive and optimistic. In my school, where I teach fifth grade, we often talk about the impact of gratitude on our lives. Gratitude and positive thinking have been linked with increased happiness, decreased stress and anxiety, and have been shown to help those dealing with adversity.
Lanni Maszerowski
16 | FALL 2022 IMPACT NEWSLETTER: GRATITUDE EDITION | ROCHESTER REGIONAL HEALTH
ROCHESTER REGIONAL HEALTH | FALL 2022 IMPACT NEWSLETTER: GRATITUDE EDITION | 17
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