Healing Bonds: from Caregiver to Friend

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At the beginning of this year, Robert “Bob” Bielenberg unexpectedly found himself in unbearable pain and was taken to TriState Emergency. They informed him that he had a perforated colon and his body was overwhelmed with infection. Emergency surgery was performed, and Bob spent five days at TriState Health in the Intensive Care Unit before moving to the Medical Surgical (Med/Surg) Unit on the second floor.

During his extended recovery stay, the staff on the second floor became like family to Bob. He couldn’t say enough about their exceptional care and compassion. One standout member of his care team that particularly made an impactful impression was his night nurse, Rob Sauve, RN. “What I really liked about Rob was that as soon as he came on shift at night, he would come into my room and lay out the plan for the whole night, and stick to it,” Bob remarks. “With four high-dose antibiotics being administered through IVs in both arms, some of those each taking over an hour and a half, he was meticulous in his planning. He’d say, ‘This is what we are going to do at this time and that,’ so I knew what to expect, and then he followed through.
It was his goal to have everything completed by
11:30pm so I could get some sleep. It’s hard enough to get rest in a hospital, but his thoughtfulness to think ahead made a huge difference. You can see he truly cares about his patients.”

As the days passed, Bob grew close to Rob. They talked about their families, including Rob’s son, shared personal stories, and had great conversations. It wasn’t just Rob, Bob connected with many of the Med/Surg staff members on a deeper level. “In fact, when I went home after spending six nights up there, I kind of hated to go because it was like losing a friendship, which is crazy,” Bob recalls. “On my way out, when I stopped to shake hands with one of the nurses at the nurse’s station to say goodbye, he said, ‘I would really like to get to know you outside of the hospital.’ And he wasn’t the only one.”

Months later, Bob returned to TriState for a follow-up procedure and once again found himself on the now-familiar Med/Surg floor. “The first night, Rob wasn’t working,” Bob begins. “The second night, I didn’t know he was coming on, and he came right in my room and he started off like we’d just seen each other. He started telling me about his son again, and it was like we were picking up right where we left off. Right away, he knew who I was and just started talking, like an old friend.”

“You never plan to spend time in the hospital, especially when you’re in perfectly good health like I was,” Bob reflects. “But the care I received was top notch. No one really wants to be there, but the people who cared for me during my stay did everything they could to make it a positive experience,” he continues. “When I needed someone, they were right there. TriState is very fortunate to have the quality people they have on that second floor. You go in for healthcare and leave with a new set of friends. It couldn’t have been better.” 

Next time you need medical attention, trust the people who care as much about your well-being as you do. TriState Health is committed to providing exceptional care to this community and the people who make it special. Choose care that comes with heart, right here at home.