Happy New Year Everyone
Well am I glad to see 2008 on the way out. This has been a rough year for just about everyone. My wife and I started off celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary, but she was not there because she had a health problem, so we had the party without her in Napa Valley and she participated by phone. We had to go ahead and have it since we had invited friends from all over the world. It turned out great and she was glad we did it.
In August she had elective surgery which did not turn out well and she almost died on August 13. She is in recovery and doing pretty well now. I was her nurses 24/7 which left me with some pretty high anxiety especially after her 4th visit to the hospital and spending 52 days there, but we got through it and are closer than ever and thank God for every day we have together.
Then the market crashed and really stressed me out but we have now adjusted to that too and are optimistic about the future of America. I just hope we get better leaders running companies so that this sort of thing never happens again. The greed we have seen is scary.
All of this happened right in the middle of my book launch so I was not able to get out and promote it like I had planned. But I did learn more than ever about priorities. I gave a speech one day recently and the group gave me a gift which was a hand made carved sign that read “Cherish Family.” I knew that but moved to a higher level with Priscilla’s illness.
My next book may be called, “Creating Magic in Health Care.” I have lots of stories and examples of how it can be done so much better. The main focus must be on the patient and to some extent the family and not just the procedures and rules and regulations. Some do it really well while most miss the mark by a long way.
So here we are on the last day of 2008. Priscilla is getting better. I am getting better and I sure hope the economy joins us and starts getting better as well..
I hope all of you have a safe and happy New Year. Be careful out there tonight….Lee
Lee,
Here’s to a 2009 filled with good health.
Can’t wait for you to write “Creating Magic in Health Care.” I recently lived through experiences from diagnostic tests all the way through hospice care. Even the health care professionals who are truly the best subscribe to your “the soft stuff is really the hard stuff” and find ways to focus on the patient, not the procedures.
Wishing you love, laughter, and learning in 2009.
Thanks for all your words of wisdom.
Linda Leahy
Dear Lee, I sincerely wish you and Priscilla a healthier happier year…and I think that Creating Magic in Health Care, or even Creating Cleaner (Cdiff and MRSA free); with more caring and competence in the line staff at hospitals!! I am so sorry for what you have gone through – never guessed at it as I read your blogs. As you may suspect, I experienced unbelievable harrowing situations first hand at a major hospital this year. Wish you good health and a happier year. Take care. Dafna Ronis
Mr. Cockerell, Please give my well wishes to your wife. It certainly puts things in perspective doesn’t it? Eventually, it all comes down to family and true friendship. Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year.
Lee – I am glad to hear your wife is doing better and pray for her continued improvement. I think Creating Magic for Healthcare is an excellent idea! Having been in the emergency side of it for 25 years, I can tell you that it is sorely needed. At the same time, there are some great examples of healthcare professionals creating magic every day. I would welcome the opportunity talk with you about that more.
God bless and thank you for your amazing contributions to leadership development!
I’m glad your wife is continuing to get better.
Creating Magic for Healthcare would be a great resource. Magic is something that is definitely missing in the healthcare setting right now.