This time of year, I always harken back to the many Christmas and holiday parties I’ve attended over the years. Family gatherings and neighborhood get togethers are very special, but one of the best memories I have is a Christmas party at a DME.
I was working as a clinical respiratory therapist for a family owned company in Ohio. Mid 1980’s---yes, I’m that old. We had a home ventilator program; a truly rare innovation at that point. I had a handful of home ventilator patients including a couple COPD’ers, a poor soul with ALS, and a half dozen kids with various diagnoses ranging from preemies to paraplegics and a boy with Muscular Dystrophy. I was juggling their care, which included at least monthly visits to maintain and monitor the vents and also do clinical follow up assessments, along with setting up complicated oxygen patients.
Our company was run by a great man, who was a true mentor to me. Back in the 80’s, DME companies made very good money. But this owner insisted on paying it back through community involvement and support. One of our projects was to “adopt” a family for the holidays and truly make their holiday special by buying them all the fixings for a holiday meal, plus presents for everyone in the house, plus some money to help with additional expenses. Over the years, the owner managed to find some very needy and deserving families through social workers and community groups. This particular year, I decided to recommend the recipient: one of my ventilator patients.
The patient I recommended was Jimmy (name changed to protect confidentiality). Jimmy was around sixteen years old and had Muscular Dystrophy. He’d been on our local telethon and met Jerry Lewis, who used to chair the annual telethon and advocate for patients with MD. Jimmy had a lot of problems, not the least of which was his ventilator dependence. He started with our company using the vent at night and eventually progressed to using it 24/7. His mother was a wonderful woman who was Jimmy’s primary caregiver. His father was a displaced steel worker, who struggled financially after the steel mills in our hometown closed. He worked very physical and usually short-term jobs to feed his family. I remember thinking he was rather gruff with me and more importantly with Jimmy, but his devotion and concern were impressive.
On top of the catastrophic health problem, the family’s financial struggles were apparent. His parents would apologize to me during my frequent visits about their balance due. They’d somehow been able to acquire a used van that was retrofitted for Jimmy’s motorized wheelchair and loved taking him on outings. I remember running into them at a local restaurant and introducing my wife to them. Every visit after that, Jimmy’s mother asked after my “lovely wife” as she called her.
I was happy to hear we were adopting the family and made sure every biller, every driver, the warehouse guy, our marketing reps, and anyone else who would listen knew about Jimmy and his family and their needs. My co-workers demonstrated an amazing amount of generosity and gifts, groceries, and money for the family piled up at our DME. I was appointed to tell the family about our decision to adopt them for the holiday and that announcement brought tears to Jimmy’s parents’ eyes (and maybe mine too).
Flash forward to about a week before Christmas.
Our company planned to take the gifts, cash, and groceries to Jimmy and his family just a few days before Christmas. One of our delivery drivers was going to dress up like Santa and I was going along.
Now, our company had a Christmas party at the DME, which had an expansive meeting room which we decorated. It was a catered affair with food and an open bar. All employees were invited along with significant others. A few vendors, assorted sales reps from manufacturing, and even a couple doctors that referred to us were also invited. It was a real event and employees looked forward to it every year. This particular year, my wife and I bundled up in a couple of those ridiculous Christmas sweaters and trekked to the DME. I was going to make a short presentation to the employees that included a description of our history with Jimmy and his family. The purpose of the presentation was to thank all the employees for their personal support of this project.
The DME was decorated beautifully. Ohio’s winters usually include snow and we had a dusting of the white stuff that made even the parking lot look festive. Christmas lights decked the front windows and a Christmas tree was set up in the showroom. The meeting room had never looked more beautiful with pine boughs, more Christmas lights, and a table of nutcrackers, Santa figures, and snowmen that the owner’s daughter had put together.
And everyone was in a festive mood as well! We mixed and mingled basking in the glow of a true family owned and operated business where every employee was treated like family.
Just before we ate, the owner pulled me aside and asked me to run out to the parking lot and help a guest that had just arrived. I assumed it was a doc or a sales rep and that I was assigned to greet them since I had the relationship with them by virtue of my job title. I headed out the front door and saw Jimmy and his parents pouring out of their van—Jimmy sporting a big Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer sweater. Stunned, I hugged them and helped them in. As we walked to the door, Jimmy’s mom relayed to me that the owner had contacted them to invite them to the party. They had decided to surprise me.
Suffice it to say the party was memorable, poignant, and representative of the true meaning of Christmas. Jimmy had a great night out. His parents were able to enjoy themselves since there were three RT’s and a nurse present to help them monitor their son. The employees marked it as the best Christmas party the DME had ever had.
Times are tougher now in the industry than they were in the 1980’s. But I think it’s important to remember why we’re in this business. It’s about patient care and serving our neighbors and friends. That service is rewarding in ways that no reimbursement cut can take away.
My best wishes to everyone during this holiday season. Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to one and all!