Jeff Burch is a Morrison resident and disabled veteran who proudly served his country overseas. During his time in the Army, he was specially trained to see things coming that the average civilian might not be prepared to face. But late last year, he had no way of predicting an emergency situation that left him hospitalized.
He woke up in intense pain with no spinal fluid and no memory of the previous hours. Those hours, he says, are unforgettable for his family, as they rushed him to the Stillwater Medical Emergency Room.
“The process of coming into the hospital itself was traumatic for my wife, as well as my son. The staff at the emergency room were comforting. They tried everything at their disposal to figure out what was going on,” Burch said.
With no clear answers, Burch was admitted to the hospital. His insurance is through Veterans Affairs, so his family feared he may be transferred to another facility before they understood the reason for his condition.
Cooperation enabled Burch to stay put.
“The line of communication from Stillwater Medical to the Oklahoma City VA was completely wide open,” Burch said. “They helped my wife and my family get the paperwork all started, which is key.”
Burch had suffered a stroke and needed time to heal. His military training wasn’t entirely useless to him in hospital. He recognized how the structures he was so familiar with in the military seemed present among the staff caring for him. They each had a clear mission, rank and responsibility. Doctors, nurses, medical technicians, staff in the Central Business Office, all came together to provide care in his time of need. Care that he said he considers heroic.
“All the way from the nurse in the ER room to the top floor of your care, it takes a special kind of person to deal with a sick person. Most people that are sick are in a bad mood. But everyone I interacted with showed nothing but pure compassion, pure understanding. It’s almost as if they knew what I needed before I needed it,” Burch said.
Burch is quick to reject the label of hero for his service. To him, he was just doing the job he signed up for with the help of veterans who came before him and the allies who trained beside him. Others might disagree.
Mirriam-Webster defines a hero as a person admired for achievements and noble qualities. Admiration is certainly what Burch expressed for his care team.
“To summarize my experience as far as the care that I received at Stillwater Medical, it was extraordinary, humbling,” Burch said. “They didn’t have to take that above and beyond, but they did, and it shows. It really shows.”
