"The death of a child is the single most traumatic event in medicine. To lose a child is to lose a piece of yourself."I walked into work yesterday morning and it only took seconds to appreciate the immense sorrow and sadness that permeated the air. My beautiful work family was despondent and deflated. Shoulders were slumped, feet were shuffling, faces wore defeat.
Something terrible had occurred during the night shift. Damn it. I felt my heart clench with the fear of anticipating the news that would cause such palpable pain to my coworkers.
Walking toward the first nurses' station, "Central" as we know it, I said brief good mornings to several nurses and techs as well as our unit coordinator, Amy. Most of them were either sitting or standing, leaning into the counter. Under the fluorescent lights, their eyes were dull. A profound fog of nothingness seemed to envelop each of them.
"Amy," I said, "what happened? What's going on?"
It took her all of five seconds to explain the catastrophe. "Dr. Jim, four children died in a house fire."
No. No. No. No....
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