Leisa Macklin
September 2013
Leisa
Macklin
,
RN
ED
Winter Haven Hospital
Winter Haven
,
FL
United States

 

 

 

Tonight, one of the registration clerks called to the back to talk to Leisa about a little old man that was out in the lobby looking for a family member he said worked here. Leisa went out to talk with the gentleman who originally told her that he was trying to find his daughter that worked here at WHH and he gave her his daughter's name. She told him she would be back in a minute. She called staffing and no person by that name worked here.

Leisa went back out to the lobby and told him there was some mistake because no one by that name works here. He said, "No, that is not what he said." And then he went on to tell her that his daughter had brought his wife here to see her doctor and now he was worried because they never came home. He then told her he had been sitting in his car in the parking lot for hours waiting for them.

Leisa once again told him she would be right back and then went to see if his wife was an active ER patient, which she was not, and then to see if she had been admitted, and she was not. Leisa returned to the lobby once again to talk to the man. She told him that she had not been able to locate his wife and daughter yet but she was still trying. Leisa asked him if either of them might have a phone number that she could try. He told her a number but she called it and it was a wrong number (not anyone that knew this gentleman).

By this time, it is obvious the little old man is confused and she asks does he perhaps have any numbers written down in his wallet that she could try. He handed her his wallet and she goes through it finding a piece of paper that had the word "HOME" and a phone number. She asked him if that was his home and he said that he thought so. She called the number and immediately a woman answered (despite the fact it was 3AM). Leisa told the woman that she had Mr. T here with her and he was trying to locate his wife and daughter.

The woman replied, "Oh thank God he is safe", and went on to tell Leisa that she is his daughter and that her mother, his wife, had been dead for over 7 years. Mr. T had wandered off the previous morning; the police had been looking for him for hours and a "silver alert" had been posted. The daughter asked Leisa to PLEASE do whatever she needed to do to keep him here until the police could get here.

Leisa assured her that she would and then sat the little old man down, told him he looked like he might be a little hungry, provided him with a sandwich and drink, and told him she thought someone from his family would be here soon.

Before he could finish the sandwich, two detectives showed up. Shortly thereafter, a very grateful daughter showed up to pick up the weary old man.

I think Leisa definitely went above and beyond with the phone calls, the detective work, and the persistent questioning to try to help this man. And I know for sure she thought it was worth the effort to have reached the happy ending and reunited him safely back with his family.