New Journey

Be the Change had been forming in my mind since the very beginning of Michael’s health crisis, I just didn’t realize it at the time. We faced so many obstacles and challenges that I knew with out a doubt could have been avoided if people who were involved in our health care process would have simply made a choice to see our situation both humanly and medically. A good friend told me once, “We need to bring the human experience back into the medical experience”. I believe that through her, those words were spoken to me divinely and by it a seed was planted. I never forgot those words which seemed to echo in my mind time and time again as we so helplessly watched Michael suffer unnecessarily because of poor choices. Each time I became more aware that a change needed to happen.

Those words spoke to me years ago have now evolved into something that we refer to as Be the Change, trusting and believing that we can affect change by our past experiences. This change to future health care experiences is born out of the pain and suffering of not just Michael but so many others like him due to the actions of health care providers who made choices and decisions that were not centered on the patient and family.

So a new journey begins and the seeds that were planted years ago are beginning to grow. My initial plan is to tell our story, truthfully and humbly, primarily to health care providers and educators. Sadly this time my journey is without my sweet Michael. But in his spirit of love and courage I am going to take all our experiences, both good and bad and use them to redefine the relationship between patients, families and providers reclaiming the human experience in health care. It’s something we all desire; patients, their families and providers alike. We must partner together, respecting each others roles, in an effort to achieve a better way to receive and deliver health care. Our story can be the catalyst to this change offering encouragement to those who have their own story and inspiration to those who also desire a change in health care. All of this because a boy named Michael raised the bar and showed me that anyone can be the change.