It's been almost a year...

We are native Floridians who seek out the snow on an annual basis.? I know, sounds crazy, but as long as we have skis on our feet and we’re only around snow for a week, it’s somewhat magical. Last March we did our annual spring break trek to Colorado for some spring skiing, just as we have done every year since the kids were barely potty trained. Last year was different.? Our first day on the mountain and on our first run of the day, my 18-year son told me he wasn’t feeling good. As any good parent of a teenager would say, I reminded him that he probably didn’t drink enough water and was experiencing altitude sickness.? About halfway down the run, he said, “Dad, I really don’t feel good.”?I skied with him back to the condo and encouraged him to rest and drink water.

Around lunch time my wife went to check on him and he asked to go to the walk-in-clinic nearby. They did a chest Xray which revealed that one of his lungs was fully collapsed.?By 2:00pm he was in an ambulance being rushed to Vail Health . Vail Health (amazing facility, 1st class staff & service!) did surgery to install a chest tube to re-inflate his lung with hopes that it would heal over the next 48 hours and stay inflated on its own.?Unfortunately, it didn’t.

The Doctor at Vail Health transferred our son to a Denver trauma center, a 2-hour plus ambulance ride.?After a day or so at that hospital, it was determined that he would need surgery to repair the lung.?They shared that such a spontaneous collapse was most prevalent in 18-21 year old males that are tall and lean.?And my son was just that… 6’2” and 175 pounds soaking wet.?I kept thinking to myself, how could this happen to him? He was in the best shape of anyone in the family. He played Varsity High School football for 4-years and was in the gym once, sometimes twice daily.?Body fat feared him. But it happened.?

After we received the confirmation that he would need surgery, my sister put her superwoman cape on and sprang into action. She’s been in the pharma/medical device industry for years.?She began networking with colleagues to try and identify the best of the best thoracic surgeon to ensure my son was in good hands. The resounding response was a guy named Dr. John Mitchell at the University of Colorado Hospital ( UCHealth ) in Aurora, CO.?The problem was, we were in Denver, at a different hospital.?We shared our intentions with the hospital staff in Denver and asked them to try and initiate a transfer.?My sister’s colleague (I still owe him a beer!!) contacted Dr. Mitchell and he agreed to accept my son as a patient once we made it to UC Health.?And this is where things got difficult.?

I’m not going to say the hospital he was in at the time wasn’t helpful, but the comment was made that it is not common practice to transfer someone from one trauma hospital to another. It seemed that they were less than thrilled that we were trying to leave. I was empathetic with their reasoning. However, I had one goal in mind…getting my son to UC Health so he could have surgery with one of the best thoracic surgeons on the planet.?That’s it.?Nothing else mattered to my wife and me. During the next visit from the nurse, she shared that a transfer request had been initiated, but UC Health did not have any beds available. Next visit, same update, no beds available. This continued for a couple days. No beds.?No beds. No beds.

I remember sitting up in my son’s hospital room in the trauma wing on a Sunday morning.?You can’t really use the words “waking up” as I don’t think you really go to sleep in that little reclining hospital chair. I was somewhat delirious, overtired, frustrated, sad and scared all at the same time.?We needed to find a way to get our son to UC Health. In my sleepless state of desperation, I turned to LinkedIn.?I tried finding anybody in my network that was connected to anyone at UC Health. Fail. I made a few phone calls to people in my network who knew people in Colorado, literally grasping at straws. Another fail.?And then somehow, my brain that was operating on probably 60 minutes of broken up sleep all night long, came up with the brilliant idea to search for “President UC Health” in LinkedIn.?I had to.?I was out of options.?

So on a Sunday morning, I sent a LinkedIn message to Mr. Tom Gronow, Ed.D., MHA , the President and CEO of UC Health, University of Colorado Hospital. I told Tom our story. I shared with him that we were a long way from home, my son was scared, and as a Dad, I was terrified. I clicked SEND.? 47 minutes later…you read that right, 47 minutes since the time I tapped that little blue arrow, Mr. Tom Gronow messaged me back.?On a Sunday morning none the less. He said that he would get with his team and see what they could do.?In under two hours, he messaged me back again and shared that they had space for my son and we learned that they would be sending an ambulance to transport him to their facility. Later that evening, the ambulance arrived and the next morning, my son woke up at UC Health.

Dr. Mitchell and his team came in that first morning. They explained everything that was going to happen with surgery.?They were patient, kind, and personable. Dr. Mitchell sat down next to my son as if he was there to have coffee. It was obvious, we were in the RIGHT place. In the days to follow, we had the pleasure to interact with multiple doctors, nurses, techs, and other employees throughout this amazing facility. Every single person was delightful. But that wasn’t a surprise to me.? Leadership and culture starts at the top with people just like Tom Gronow. With a majority of our employee interactions, it truly felt like we were dealing with friends.?But in reality, it was the day nurse, or the night nurse, or the tech who was taking his vitals.?You could tell that they all genuinely cared and wanted to make a difference.

Our son’s surgery was successful.?He went on to graduate high school and is now a Freshman at Florida State University.?But as we start to gather our ski clothes for this year’s annual trip, I can’t help but get a little emotional.?Thinking about the chaos that ensued just 12-months ago and the President/CEO that took the time to care. Not only did he take the time to care, he THANKED US for seeking care with his team.?I have told our UC Health story OVER and OVER all starting with Tom Gronow, whose empathetic and personal leadership style won over the hearts of our entire family. ?

So far in 2024, we’ve already seen plenty of WTH moments in life and on both sides of the political landscape.?And as we approach November, I can’t imagine it’s going to get better. I have an idea.?Try this…turn off the TV.?Stop reading the news that only seeks to divide us. Even if just for a day or two. In the days, weeks, and months to follow, try HELPING SOMEONE. Anyone.?No matter what it is, big or small.? Just take the time to help another human being. You probably won’t expect it, but you’ll recognize the opportunity when it arises. In my profession, I’m normally the “helper.”?With 20+ years in the executive search business, I’m used to providing “non-revenue building” assistance to friends, friends of friends, past candidates, you name it.?I enjoy it.?And I know I am making a difference when I help someone.?Last March however, I was on the receiving end.? And although it’s been a year, I still remember the names and can visualize the faces of those that helped us and took the time to care. ?So just do it, help someone.? They won’t soon forget your good deed either.?I promise.