Diary of a Trauma Nurse

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Do You Know Where YOUR Kids Are?

I was in charge on the night shift when I got the page from our resident in the E.R. We were getting a Level I Trauma: A 16 year old female that had been in a roll-over MVA, 1 of 3 passengers, 2 dead at the scene, also female, also 16 years old. It was 3:00 a.m. and I’m wondering “where are the parents” and what were these girls doing out this late?

As she rolls through the doors with CPR in progress and our team starts to work on her, I notice an officer accompanied the ER staff bringing her up. “Does she have any family with her” I asked? I was told that when the officer called the girls house a few minutes before, he was yelled at by the father and told he had the wrong phone number, then hung up on. An officer was on the way to the address that was on the girl’s identification but in the mean time I told him I would gladly call the house back.

When I called, I was wondering what exactly I would say to the father if he yelled at me for disturbing his sleep but the mother answered instead. I told her I was a trauma nurse calling from a Level I Trauma Center and that we had who we believed to be her daughter in very critical condition. She told me I was mistaken because her daughter was asleep upstairs. I then asked her if she could give me her daughter’s name as I got their phone number from some information from this patient’s belongings. She told me her name was Sophia Smith. I then asked if her birthdate was April the 8th 1989. She said yes and I heard her tell her husband to go upstairs to check on Sophia with a now shaking voice.

I explained that we had sent an officer over to their house to bring them to the hospital if in fact it was their daughter we had. At that time, over the phone I heard the doorbell ring and about the same time her husband must have found the bed empty upstairs because I heard crying and commotion on the other end with no response to my questions.

Sophia did not survive her injuries. Soon after when her parents arrived, we found out that Sophia as well as her other two friends had all snuck out of their houses.
I often wonder if that father ever asks himself if he’d gotten up with the first phone call if he would have seen his daughter alive one more time. I ask myself the same thing.
I might get chastised for this one but parents……KNOW WHERE YOUR KIDS ARE!!!!!

CoryTraumaRN posted today at 9:14 PM

Comments:

Dear Cory, I am a 29 year old mother of five. I came across your page while doing research for an essay in my english class. It is about the carreer that we have chosen. I have a passion for emergency nursing. While reading your page and your stories i am even more motivated to persue my dream in hope that I too one day can as many life changing expererences as you do. You have inspired me....thank you
diana

# posted by

Anonymous : 3:03 PM

Diana,
You don't know how much of a motivator people like you are for nurses like ME! First of all, a mother of 5!!! WOW! You can do ANYTHING! =D
Thank YOU for you have inspired ME!
Keep in touch, I want to know when you graduate!!!

# posted by

CoryTraumaRN : 7:58 PM

As the father of a 14 year old, I am now scared S#%$less. It makes me want to fit my daughter with a lojack device.

# posted by

The T-Dude : 10:25 AM

T-Dude,
Tell me about it!!! My daughter is 17 and has her own car now!!!! I lay awake MANY nights LATE waiting for her to get home! She gets annoyed with my many calls but one day she'll understand...... (ALWAYS know where they're at!)

# posted by

CoryTraumaRN : 8:55 PM

Cory,
This is such a great message. There were many nights where my parents thought I was somewhere I wasn't. I was always the "good girl," got straight A's, etc. They never thought I'd sneak out or go to parties. Looking back, there are SO many horrible things that could have happened to me. I simply thank God for His protection. It's so true though...KNOW WHERE YOUR KIDS ARE...even if you don't think they're the "type" that would be doing *something.*

I'm now 28 and am going back to school...hoping to get into a nursing program this fall to get my ADN. It's my dream job to be a trauma nurse. I randomly pop by your site and read your entries. I love your posts...and, hopefully, one day I can be like you. :)

# posted by

Jennie : 12:17 AM

Jennie,

THANK YOU for reading and for posting your comment! Believe it or not, it's the comments that make a difference! When readers hear from people like you, that have been there and done it! THANK YOU!

And be better than me! I'm thankful HE kept you safe so you can tough lives! Keep in touch!!!! You're in my prayers!

# posted by

CoryTraumaRN : 5:13 PM

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