An Intubated Patient is Born

Eyes open and awake, bombarded by sensation

Strange people, lights, and sounds surround them

For the healers, it is a moment of joy and excitement

Contrasted with patients’ feelings of fear and confusion

Tears of joy running along tears of the unknown

A cough, a gag are present

A tube, a line have gone away

Family and friends visit, goals of care are revisited

Unaware of the perilous journey to their awakening

They learn, begin to recover and grow

Noises become words, faces become names

Days pass, therapists stop by, papers are filed

And they are thrust back into the world

Jonathan Doan is a fourth-year medical student at the UTCOMLS.

Manic