The Photographer

Posted on by Ara Sagherian

A young man sets out on a quest to capture the perfect photograph. In the summer of 2005, I was involved in a severe car accident that left me paralyzed from the waist down. Upon waking up in the ICU, one face was staring back at me; my father’s. For the next month, my father had the nurses on duty wheel a chair into my room every single night, and that’s where he’d be until I opened my eyes in the morning.

Seven years since that fateful day in June, my father remains my biggest supporter. After more than two years in a wheelchair, I finally defied the odds and became vertical once more. I know deep within myself that this improbable recovery has a great deal to do with my father. And ‘The Photographer’ is my way of expressing  my gratitude. My father, the most reliable human being I’ve ever known.

Ara Sagherian

Writer and Director of the short film ‘The Photographer’ (2012)

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Stronger | Seattle Childrens Hospital

Posted on by Seattle Childrens Hospital

This patient produced video is swiftly becoming viral and is on track to hit 1 million views in its first week. The hemoncology floor of Seattle Children’s Hospital performs Kelly Clarkson’s song “Stronger”.

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Memorise the Room

Posted on by Patient Commando - Sean McDermott

By Sean McDermott

It was three years ago and some that I was taken to Brampton Hospital at breakneck speed with sirens and horns blasting and just myself and a paramedic in the back attempting to survive what seemed like the last lap of the Indy 500.

It was December, and although I was almost completely bed-ridden with the violent symptoms of End Stage Liver Disease and had retained enough water to fill a small decorative pond, I said goodbye to my daughter and my extended family as they planned to trek up to Caledon and fetch a tree for the coming Christmas season.  “I’ll be fine, “ I said reassuringly, for I had eaten well, I was in good spirits and the remote and the phone were on the bed beside me.  “Have fun.”

I had been suffering from some electrolyte management failures lately and had become accustomed to a heart arrhythmia that sounded like a beginner drummer.  He couldn’t come in on the one after a speedy drum solo. It had something to do with high potassium levels and the inability of my scrunched up liver to act normally. The family were gone about an hour when I started to feel [...] continue the story

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The Fully Sick Rapper

Posted on by Chritian Van Vuuren

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Melissa & Case Hogan share with Patient Commando

Posted on by Saving Case

In 2009, my then 2-year old son Case was diagnosed with a rare disease called Hunter Syndrome. It is a progressive and degenerative disease that attacks all of the body systems and usually leads to lifespan of only 12-15 years old.

Later that year, he was in the hospital for several procedures including tonsil removal and the placement of a port-a-cath for weekly infusions. It was after these surgeries that he ended up in the PICU because of airway problems. Those were incredibly sobering days. But, you can’t live with sadness 24-hours a day, even in the PICU.

After several days in the PICU, when it seemed as if Case was on the upswing, I collected my “30 Pieces of Hospital Wisdom.” It was that return to writing after the emotional time of his initial diagnosis that would later lead me to start a blog chronicling his journey, www.savingcase.com. Here is my wisdom:

Packing only one change of clothes does not actually make for a shorter hospital stay. Socks don’t really start smelling until you’ve worn them for the third day. Not the second, the third. You really can curl your hair using a compact mirror propped on top of a soap dispenser. Curling your hair while listening [...] continue the story

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