Patients should not be judged

Re: “The life and death of Kimberly Gloade” (Extra, Sept. 9)

I’d been working as a nurse for about eight years when, early one Sunday, I learned a valuable lesson.

It was my third 12-hour shift in three days, and a father wanted to visit his son who was a patient on the ward. I received a call from the security desk telling me the man’s name and informing me he appeared “very drunk.”

“Well, don’t let him up if he looks like trouble,” I said, but the man made it up to the ward anyway.

He was wobbly and certainly appeared intoxicated. Without attempting to approach him, I called the guard and asked him to come up and deal with the unwanted guest. The guard came and escorted him downstairs.

Not soon after, my phone rang. It was the man’s wife, furious. It turned out her husband was ataxic due to Parkinson’s Disease.

Whatever was said to Kimberly Gloade at the MUHC, it seems clear she was made to feel unwelcome. Despite her pain, she did not push the matter and left the Royal Victoria’s brand new emergency room, only to die one month later. The MUHC, which is conducting an internal investigation, says it believes there was a misunderstanding. I believe the woman was judged, just like I judged a father wanting to visit his son.

As health-care professionals, it is our job to treat and show humanity to each and every patient. Let’s hope Kimberly Gloade reminds us of this, each and every day. Nathan Friedland, Roxboro