The small things make all the difference,” said C.J. Mulligan, Transportation Worker at the General Campus.
A transportation worker who took the time to give a stroke patient a heated blanket was singled out for thanks from the patient’s son-in-law.
“Even though it was a rough few days, the purr and facial expression on my father-in-law was absolutely priceless,” the son-in-law wrote in a letter to TOH President and CEO Dr. Jack Kitts. “I honestly think that five seconds of bliss (it’s always the little things) made a world of a difference to him. Thank you to the tattoo-sleeved porter for giving that moment to him. Sorry I didn’t catch your name.”
That porter is C.J. Mulligan, who has always offered heated blankets to patients, but understood the importance even more after he was an Emergency Department patient himself.
“It’s like a warm hug,” said Mulligan, who has worked at TOH for nine years. “Why not go that extra step? Patients definitely appreciate it. You get a good reaction.”
“Patients are so appreciative of the little things we do,” said Dr. Kitts, who visited Mulligan to thank him. “A warm blanket or a friendly smile are priceless to them.”
“The small things make all the difference,” said Mulligan, “to know that you’re not alone and that someone’s there to help you.”
The son-in-law also thanked a long list of other staff members. “Please do not be insulted when I say we hope to not have to see you again, but if we do, know we’re in good hands. Thank you for treating us ‘as your own’.”
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