Survival, Intertwined
This past Monday, May 11, marked six years since Will’s sudden cardiac arrest. In the wee hours of that morning, Kristin performed 10 minutes of CPR that kept him alive. Those 10 minutes changed our lives forever.
Obviously, this is a day that brings up a lot of emotions for our family. From the relief and joy of survival; to the reckoning of lasting trauma, it’s been a rollercoaster. In this month’s essay, both of us reflect on our intertwined experiences.
How To Offer Co-Survivors Help That Works
“Let me know if you need anything.” A moment of brutal honesty: I grew to despise that phrase over the course of Will’s cancers and after his sudden cardiac arrest. I know that the people who said it were well-meaning. They wanted to help, but maybe didn’t feel confident about how to approach it. Maybe […]
Avoid These 10 Mistakes: Supporting Co-Survivors In Medical Emergencies
Discover the 10 mistakes healthcare professionals make with co-survivors in medical emergencies and learn how to provide better support.
The Unspoken Trauma Of Adverse Patient Events
Healthcare professionals often suffer in silence after a serious adverse patient event, but understanding the concept of the Second Victim is the first step toward healing. ?
How To Be A Compassionate Clinician In One Easy Step
When we were in our late 20s, my husband, Will, got cancer. When he was 30, he got cancer again, unrelated to the first time. When he was 34, he died in his sleep, but I wouldn’t let him go. After his unexplained sudden cardiac arrest, Will ended up in the ICU, where a nurse […]
10 Tips For Supporting Co-Survivors
Understanding co-survivors’ needs is crucial for mitigating lasting trauma. We’ve compiled some quick and easy tips to help support co-survivors. Best of all, each of these tips takes less than a minute. So pick one – or more if you want bonus points – and run with it! ?
Caring for Family Caregivers: 4 Ways To Be Their Lifeline
If you know someone in the family caregiver role, we’ve got a guide that will show you how to be there for them in ways that truly matter.
The Gift of Honesty: How Truth Transformed a Child’s Perspective on Dad’s Survival
Hi. I’m a kid. FYI, I’m also funny. That probably isn’t the introduction you’re used to, but it turns out it’s important. Because, as you may have experienced, newfangled kids like me think a bit differently than you adults. But that doesn’t mean we’re incapable of processing important, if not scary, moments in our lives. […]
Words to Leave By: Bridges Out of the Quiet Place
“I remember many things from my husband’s sudden cardiac arrest at 34 years old – the guttural, panicked sounds of his agonal breathing in our darkened bedroom; the timbre of his voice as a pocket of air passed through his vocal cords in response to my chest compressions; the sight of his body turning gray […]
The Quiet Place
“One dark morning last May, I wrecked my body giving 10 minutes of CPR. My 34-year-old husband, Will, had been lying peacefully next to me, both of us fast asleep. I woke up suddenly to a loud noise I will never forget. At first, I thought he was snoring. I groggily nudged him, but he […]