2014 Medical Librarians Month – Meeting Jane

Posted by Patricia Devine on November 18th, 2014 Posted in: Funding, News from Network Members, News From NNLM PNR

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For our 2014 Medical Librarians Month Contest, Basia Delawska-Elliott told us her story about making a difference in a patient’s life.

by Basia Delawska-Elliott
Health Sciences Librarian
Providence St. Vincent Medical Center
Portland, OR

Meeting Jane

I was just coming back from lunch when I ran into Jane at the hospital entrance. I was so glad to see her! Jane was a cancer patient, who used to be a library regular, but she had not come into the library for quite a while and I feared the worst.

Jane first came to see us having just received a diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Straight from the doctor’s office she marched into the library. I am sure that she was devastated and scared, yet she was determined to learn as much as she could and to stay in control of her treatment. I remember when she walked in to the library she had a look of determination on her face. She sat down, told me of her diagnosis and then before I could respond in any way she said “I am going to need a lot of information to beat this thing and I am hoping you can help me with that”. I immediately assured her that I would be glad to help in any way I could. Jane wasn’t the first cancer patient that came to the library seeking information, but she was definitely the most matter-of-fact about what she needed to do, and that set the tone for our relationship.

Over the course of months that relationship grew. Jane started with general information then moved on to specific treatments and medications. She poured over searches and read every relevant article. I saw her pre- and post-surgery, when she was exhausted from chemotherapy, and when she was coming in for checkups. And then one day she stopped coming and, taught by experience, I was trying not to think about what that might mean.

So running into Jane was a very happy surprise! She was carrying a bud vase with a single red rose and when she saw me she flashed a huge smile. “I was just coming down to the library”, she said. ” I’m free! Thank you! This rose is for you for all you have done for me! Having all that information… that gave me the strength; made me feel like I was in control”. I was touched and honored. I hugged Jane and thanked her for letting me know she was OK and that I had helped.

Jane’s wasn’t the only case where the library has made a difference. Doctors have come in before to let us know that we have helped – as a rookie I was asked for a search on a late Friday afternoon just to learn on Monday morning that the information I found helped stop a patient from bleeding out during a procedure; another time a physician called to thank me for finding information that changed the course of treatment when I uncovered that there was a specific ethnic variant of the disease the patient had. But helping Jane was different. She was the patient and I worked directly with her. She wasn’t a case I was told about later. I could see the difference librarians make right before my eyes.

After her successful recovery Jane decided to volunteer at the hospital. She was placed in one of the gift shops where I would frequently run into her. She was a great library advocate for years. Whenever anyone needed medical information, Jane always sent them to our library. She retired recently from her volunteer job and I don’t get to see her these days, but I always remember the single red rose in the glass bud vase.