Mother hen

We were to have the kids today, but the boys are sick with head colds, aggravated asthma, and probably two or three other illnesses that they pass around during the winter. We didn't pick up Abby because she was worried about the boys. "What if they need me?" she said. Cute.
So, I called the kids today to chat with them for a little while. After talking with Abby, she passed the phone to the boys, saying, "Boys, Dad wants to talk to you! Talk to Dad, because he's worried about you... so VERY worried."
The cutest mother hen I've even known.
The boys are lucky to have such a loving sister... as lucky as I AM to have such a lovely daughter who is beautiful is every way.

Ben & Usher syndrome

Both Ben and Colin have Usher syndrome. The boys' latest eye tests show that their vision is worse than ever. Ben's retinitis is such that he now officially qualifies as "deaf-blind" in the state school system. He's almost completely night-blind and has lost much of his peripheral vision. Colin is trending the same way, but his condition is not nearly as advanced as Ben's. In January Ben's school teacher & specialists will begin teaching him to use "the cane" in case he loses his eyesight sooner than normal (between ages 15-20). Colin will learn the cane with Ben, so they can at least do it together. The odds are about 50-50 that he'll lose his eyesight completely.
We always knew it could happen. It's just happening sooner than normal... by about a decade.
Ben's such a good boy... and a strong, tough one, too. We're grateful to family & friends for well-wishes, thoughts & prayers.

Devious...

Earlier this week, Ben woke up with a slight fever, and complained that he didn't feel well. So, as Mommy took Colin to school and Abby to the doctor (she had strep), Mommy left Ben with Grandma Ellen, just to be safe.
After Mommy left, Grandma Ellen said to Ben, "So, you're feeling sick today, huh?"
Ben looked up at her and replied, smiling beatifically, "Nope... I just teasing."

Ugh... not even six years old and already cutting class...

Discourtesy doesn't fly

Here's the letter I wrote to the doctor's office (AND to the CEO, COO and the PR department of the hospital) after a really rough experience Marissa and I last week. We've since had apologies from the offensive staff member and the hospital's "risk management" department... but I feel like posting it anyway. :) The names have been changed to protect the guilty:

Dear Dr. N.,

Unfortunately, I’m writing to inform you of an annoying, disheartening and ultimately insulting experience we had in your office today. I’ve never written a letter like this before. I write only to ensure that today’s incident will be “on the record” with both your office and XYZ Hospital, in the hopes that perhaps it will garner the attention and respect that we did not receive today, and discourage the sort of discourtesy that seems to be associated with certain employees’ proximity to the front desk.

Marissa got a call from your assistant B. at about 3:00 p.m. today. He asked Marissa where her blood draw was done. When she told him it had been done across the hall, he told Marissa that the reason for his call was that he couldn’t locate her blood work from the draw that was taken last Tuesday, November 20. As you know, she has been waiting for some news about her mystery illness that’s troubled her for many, many months – any news at all – and she was understandably upset. B. told her that it might be necessary for her to come back to the office and redo the blood draw (likely getting stuck six more times by the resident phlebotomists, which is what happened last week, and then needing to wait another five to seven days to get the test results we were expecting today). B. added that he’d “look around” to see if he could find out what happened, and said that he would call her right back. She, of course, wasn’t happy and called me to relay the bad news.

After waiting for over an hour without the promised return phone call, I left work, picked her up from home and together we drove to your office to try and sort out what happened. Your receptionist, K., eventually greeted us at the front desk. We explained the situation, voiced our frustration and asked if she or B. could be of help – whether it was to find the results or do the blood draw again – we just needed someone to care about helping us to get some answers. If, as you’d previously hypothesized (and as it happened two years ago), Marissa’s white blood cell count were again dangerously low, you can of course see how important it would be to have these results right away, how we needed someone to simply take an interest in our concern… and can no doubt see how the uncertainty of the situation might upset Marissa.

K. pulled up Marissa’s file and, despite the fact we’d explained that B. had called us with this problem, she said that the test results weren’t even back yet. K. went so far as to say that she was “positive” that they weren’t back yet. She gave a couple of reasons for her assumption, like having to send the sample out of the hospital for the necessary lab work, and having just had a big Thanksgiving weekend where regular business hours wouldn’t apply. When we asked her why L. had told us that the results would be available today, she said that L. must have told us wrong. She reiterated that she was “sure” that the results simply weren’t in yet. It was only after we again told her that B. was looking for her test results (and hadn’t called back like he’d promised) that she took the immense trouble to pick up the phone, call him around the corner and actually ask him about the situation. B. told her that he in fact had found the test results and to send us back around the corner to him.

I have to underline that K. wanted to send us right home, “positive” that the test results weren’t back and “sure” that everything was in order. Her dismissive attitude of falsely assumed surety is entirely insulting and completely unacceptable. To that point, I should also mention that Marissa’s sisters, C. and M. (who are also regular patients of yours), have also spoken to us quite candidly, and on several occasions, of this particular receptionist’s haughty, dismissive, “know-it-all” demeanor. Had we given any credence to K.’s assumptions today, we’d have left the office with no solution at all. I hate to think what could have happened had these test results indicated that Marissa needed a necessarily immediate and/or life-altering treatment.

So around the corner we went. B. informed us that Marissa’s last name on the tests was noted as “Poole” (which is correct, having married me and legally changed her surname in June of this year), but all of her charts were under her maiden name “Young.” So, while the test results were indeed back in the office, they in effect were homeless and attributed to, well, effectively to no one, as her last name hadn’t been changed on her charts. In the end, a small error, easily corrected and quite easily forgiven. However, it was also a potentially time-wasting error… one that’s quite unfair considering my wife’s uncertain condition… and most important, one that would have lengthened our wait and exacerbated the situation had we not come into the office and rectified it face to face today.

We then mentioned to B. that Marissa has actually asked L. to change her last name on your records last week, when Marissa was there for the blood draw. We’re sure that the change wasn’t made at that time because your computer system was down during Marissa’s last visit, and the change was later overlooked. We can certainly understand that simple oversight… and when we mentioned it to B., he immediately made the change. It took less than seven seconds. No problem. However, I have to assume that if the change had been made last week like Marissa asked, then B. wouldn’t have had to call us in a clueless stupor and get Marissa worried and upset. But again, that’s a simple oversight and easily excusable. B. then told us that you’d call us whenever you had the time to review the test results. Only after Marissa asked twice did B. agree to alert you, Dr. N., that the test results were in and that we’d need a follow-up phone call.

As we were leaving, I stopped at the front desk and asked K. to pull up Marissa’s file again to make absolutely sure that her surname had been properly changed (since it hadn’t been done last week, and since B. appeared to have made the change so quickly). She looked up the chart, and the change was verified. She also assured me that she’d make that change through the proper insurance channels as well. That’s all well and good… but that wasn’t the real reason I stopped at the front desk on our way out.

You see, I wanted to afford K. the chance to apologize for being completely wrong about the arrival of the test results, for being wrong about them taking extra time because of the holiday weekend, and for being so rudely dismissive of their whereabouts. However, no apology was offered. In fact, she simply seemed relieved that we were on our way out. Come to that, I’m sure she talked to her coworkers all about how difficult I was after we left.

Dr. N., we were very offended and very disappointed. Forget the apparent incompetence of one of the staff in “connecting the dots” – two dots at most, if you’ll forgive the analogy – simply to match some test results to a patient. Mistakes happen, particularly where surnames and insurance coverage are changed, and that’s understandable, to a point. And never once did I raise my voice, use inappropriate language or “cause a scene” during our visit today. In fact, I apologized to K. for the inconvenience of making her log out of the computer system to pull up Marissa’s chart again to be sure of the name change. But even if I had caused a scene… K.’s nonchalance, rudeness and dismissive attitude are categorically intolerable. She and B. were only of help after we insisted, several times, that they do something to try and help us. If either K. or B. had been of any help at all of his or her own accord, or been apologetic at all, I probably wouldn’t be writing this letter. Is it really too much to ask for someone to take responsibility and apologize for a simple mistake? Is it too much to ask for someone to show some professional courtesy and at least pretend to care about a patient’s situation?

If we at ABC 4 TV (where I’m a producer) were as dismissive in a news interview, we’d lose the story. If we were as dismissive to an advertising client, we’d lose the account. If we didn’t respect the intelligence and feelings of our audience, we’d lose viewers. Based on K.'s completely unprofessional attitude alone, your office and your hospital don’t deserve our business.

Marissa and I are educated people with good jobs and good insurance. We aren’t by any means “stuck” with your services. We know we can get responsible, friendly, helpful health care at many offices and from a variety of local hospitals. Marissa chooses to stay with you because you, Dr. N., and your assistant L. have always given Marissa and her family excellent care, and she’s told me so on many occasions. We are actually very glad to have you helping us solve Marissa’s ongoing health crisis. In fact, since I began writing this letter this evening, Marissa has called and let me know that you have called her back with her test results and are making necessary arrangements for the next phase of testing that she needs. Thank you. Again, you and K. are most helpful and considerate, and we’re really quite grateful for your kind attention and communication in following up with us on Marissa’s condition. However, the attention and communication of a few of your office staff is so poor, so disappointing and so insulting that I must call it in question… and I must officially call it to your attention.

Best regards,
RJP

what's new...

PLENTY of happenings since the last post... Marissa and I celebrated our three-month wedding anniversary, the triplets started kindergarten, Grandma Colleen turned 49 and we spent a great weekend at the Utah Shakespearean Festival. My poor writing can hardly describe my life, so I rely (perhaps too much) on my trusty Canon Digital Rebel XT and my Flickr photo site. Check it out! Updates to come as time allows...

How fast they grow up...

Abby's losth anosther toosth!

More recent trips photos on my Flickr site.

Married life...

So, we've been married for a month now and everything is wonderful!
New photos from the honeymoon will soon be on my Flickr site.
Also, a great set of shots from the chapel, thanks to our dear friend Natasha, who sang a GORGEOUS song during our ceremony.
Thanks to all who made it an amazing day!

One month to go!

This is the composite that's going in our wedding announcement.
Shot and cleaned by the incomparable photographic genius Doug Carter at his studio in Salt Lake City.
The wedding is one month away and we couldn't be more excited!

A must-read

You've GOT to read this dynamic article by David Kupelian of WorldNetDaily.
It's called "The Secret Curse of Hollywood 'Stars'," and it's all about how praise and entitlement (and how we use them) can destroy the noblest parts of our humanity.
An excellent read and well worth your time.

"... It's a neeeeew CAAAAARRRRR!!!"

Yes, the Grandfolks Poole are taking the concept of "spoiling the grand-triplets" to dizzying new heights! See all the photos from Lightning McQueen's maiden trip around the track here.

Colin loses his first tooth!

The kids are getting SO BIG!
Colin lost his first tooth today!
Check my Flickr photo site for some dang cute pics!

NON-binding resolution?

Reporting by the Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The Democratic-controlled House issued a symbolic rejection of President Bush's plan to deploy more troops to Iraq on Friday, opening an epic confrontation between Congress and commander in chief over an unpopular war that has taken the lives of more than 3,100 U.S. troops.
The vote on the nonbinding measure was 246-182, with 6 not voting.
"The stakes in Iraq are too high to recycle proposals that have little prospect for success," said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, leader of Democrats who gained power last fall in elections framed by public opposition to the war.
"The passage of this legislation will signal a change in direction in Iraq that will end the fighting and bring our troops home," she vowed.
Bush's Republican allies said repeatedly the measure would lead to attempts to cut off funds for the troops. Outnumbered, they turned to Rep. Sam Johnson of Texas to close their case - and the former Vietnam prisoner of war stepped to the microphone as lawmakers in both parties rose to applaud his heroism.
"Now it's time to stand up for my friends who did not make it home, and for those who fought and died in Iraq already," he said. "We must not cut funding for our troops. We must stick by them," he added, snapping off a salute as he completed his remarks to yet another ovation.
Bush made no comment on the developments, and his spokesman said the commander in chief was too busy to watch the proceedings on television.
*****
A "symbolic" rejection, eh? Some good that will do you, House Democrats.
Someday, someone will simply HAVE to explain to me the efficacy of a "non-binding" resolution, because I'm DYING to find out what that means exactly.
Just one more example of OUR tax dollars hard at work!

Abby-ism of the Day

While pulling the petals off of a flower, one by one:
"... he loves me ... he loves me a lot ... he loves me ... he loves me a lot ..."
Good for you Abbs... you can't lose!

My sweet daughter

Abby: "I'm gonna cut my hair."
Dad: "Oh yeah?"
Abby: "Yeah, I'm gonna give it to a little girl."
Dad: "Why?"
Abby: Because she's sick, and she's bald."
***
My baby girl wants to give her hair to Locks of Love.
Please God, whatever we're doing right in raising this little angel, please help us to keep doing it. :)

Falling off "the mtn."

The University of Utah's men's basketball team beat the Air Force Academy in a big conference game last night. A greater victory still, considering that the Utes beat a Falcons team that until last night was ranked 11th in the country.
Yet only a few people saw it.
Because the game was televised on "the mtn."
Yes, that's "The Mountain," that devilish new sports network exclusively devoted to sports from the Mountain West Conference, of which the mighty Utes are a part. Because of some shady dealings with Comcast, "the mtn." can only be seen on cable. It's not on DirecTV. Nor can you get it on DishNetwork. Forget about seeing it with your rabbit-ears antenna.
I don't get it. The conference made the deal in good faith, thinking their fan base would be served with lots of local and regional sports. Instead, about a third of the broadcast area (the part that subscribes to cable TV) can watch, while the rest (those with off-air antennae or satellite dishes) are completely shut out.
UGH.
Stop the madness, "the mtn." Get on the dish. Serve the fan base that buys the tickets.
If the Utes cut down a ranked opponent on "the mtn.", does it make a sound?