Waiting for news about a loved one’s surgery or health status can be very stressful. That is why Kal Bachra and his family donated $20,000 to the intensive care unit (ICU) waiting room at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH).

“We donated to the refurbishing of the ICU waiting room because my father was a patient there and we wanted to thank the doctors, nurses and staff for their care,” says Kal’s daughter, Sabrina. “We realized that the hospital allocates its resources to deliver the best possible patient care. We thought we could help make the waiting room a better space for families to gather and wait on news about their loved ones.”

The space got a fresh coat of paint as well as new, comfortable furniture and new art pieces, including calming abstract paintings by local artist, Camrose Ducote.

ICU social worker Hilda Nanning says the waiting room is a very important space for families.

“I really can’t stress enough the importance of sanctuaries like this around the hospital — away from the craziness and the hardship. It’s a place to catch up to oneself in the midst of the shock and feeling overwhelmed that can come with a medical crisis,” she says. “To have an environment that is peaceful, clean and supportive is very important. The waiting room is a warm place for families to meet, to talk, to mourn, and for people like myself to have therapeutic conversations with them.”

“So many people comment on how meaningful it is to have this kind of warm space in the hospital,” she adds. “Some of these people have been waiting for hours and sometimes for days.”

In 2016, Kal had emergency heart bypass surgery and was a patient of VGH’s Cardiac Surgery ICU. The operation saved his life.

“We always felt he was getting the best care possible, which is a testament to the people who work at VGH,” recalls Sabrina.

Sabrina says her family hopes the new room will be a comfort to the people spending long hours there.

“After spending days in the waiting room we noticed it was tired-looking and not the best space for families to spend hours waiting for news about their loved ones,” she says. “We hope that by improving the room, there will be a better experience for the families who use it.”[:zh]

 

最令人焦虑及紧张的时刻，莫过於等候亲人进行手术或健康状况消息的时刻。因此，卡尔·帕夏Kal Bachra及其家人为温哥华综含医院（VGH）的重症监护病房（ICU）等候室捐赠了两万元。

他的女儿萨布丽娜（Sabrina）说：“我们捐赠给ICU等候室的重修工作，是因为我的父亲曾经是那里的病人，我们要感谢医生，护士和医护人员的悉心照料。我们意识到，医院需要分配资源，才能提供最好的病人护理。我们相信，我们也可以出一分力，令等候室成为家庭聚集和等候关于亲人消息的更佳地方。”

我们为等候室髹上了新的油漆，以及添置了全新及舒适的家具和新的艺术作品，包括本地艺术家卡姆罗斯·杜科特‭ (‬Camrose Ducote‭)‬的平静抽像画。

ICU社工希尔达·南宁‭(‬Hilda Nanning）表示，等候室是家庭非常重要的一个空间。

“我实在需要强调在医院内这种避静空间的重要性‭ – ‬它让家属在可能会面对一场医疗危机的情况下，暂时远离烦乱和困苦‭- ‬在震惊及压力下得到歇息的空间。”‭ ‬她说。‭ ‬“一个和平，洁净和有支援的环境是非常重要的。等候室是一个充满温馨的地方，它让家人能聚起来，谈心及哀悼。也让像我这样作为社工与他们进行治疗性交谈的场所。”

她补充说：“很多人都赞扬在医院里有这样一个温暖的空间是多么有意义。其中有些人曾经等了好几个小时，甚至好几天。”

2016年，卡尔文德‭(‬Kalvinder）进行了紧急心脏搭桥手术，并在VGH心脏手术ICU留院。手术挽救了他的生命。

“我们确信他得到了最好的照顾，这是对VGH的医护人员的认证，”‭ ‬萨布丽娜‭(‬Sabrina‭)‬回忆说。

萨布丽娜‭(‬Sabrina‭)‬说，她的家人希望新的等候室，能为需要在那里等候多时的病人家属带来慰借。
她说：“在等候室呆了几天之后，我们发现这里已经开始变得残旧，这并不是家属在这里花数小时等待关于亲人消息的最佳空间。‭ ‬“我们希望通过改善这个等候室‭ – ‬让使用它的家属会有更好的体验。”