Miriam

Kori is an Exercise Physiologist and the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Team Lead in the Cardiac Rehab Department at the hospital.  Her job is to help the patients on their recovery journey from Heart Surgeries.  She gets them up and exercising in as little as 24 hours following their procedures.  It is not easy work.  Patients are cranky.  And emotional.  And hurting.  She has been thrown up on, pooped on, grabbed inappropriately, yelled at, screamed at, cussed at.  She has to use incredible amounts of strength to get them up and out of their beds.  Her back hurts.  Her muscles are sore.  And yet she goes in and gets them up and gets them walking.  Why?  Because she knows that is what is best for their health.  And they don't want to do it.  But, she makes them do it anyway.

  This is Miriam and her husband Jared.  This picture was taken in March of this year.  Miriam is a nurse at Dixie Regional Medical Center in the Cardio Vascular Unit.   In March of 2014,  she was awaiting Open Heart Surgery.  It was a scary and unsure time for her, I am sure.  Miriam worked with Kori.  And Kori was very helpful to her in preparation for surgery.  She pepped her up and told her that she would be there when it was over.

Miriam's surgery went well.  And Kori was there, just like she promised making her get up and walk.  Miriam said  

"Kori was my best friend from Cardiac Rehab.  She helped me get my walks in and helped me schedule all my appointments for Cardiac Rehab afterward.  She was my own personal cheerleader.  I looked forward to going when Kori was there.  Because she made my day by making me feel special."

This picture was taken March 6, 2014.

"This is not the best picture of me"  She adds. 

"But it is my favorite of Kori.  She promised she would be the one to walk with me from ICU to CVU.  And I made her promise she would make me walk the whole way.  She cheered me on all through recovery.  She was more than a co-worker, she really cared about me and is a true friend."

I asked if I could put this on the blog.

She said, "Sure anything to support Kori.  I know how hot I look.  But I would be excited and honored to show my love for your sister."

Then she added

"There were a few days after I was discharged from the hospital and was doing out-patient Cardiac Rehab.  And I would text Kori if I had issues and there were days that the very LAST thing I wanted to do was go to work out, be strapped to a heart monitor and get sore.  Kori would text me and remind me how much it helped to be there.  And all the reasons I needed to go.  And she wouldn't let me make excuses not to show up.  Thanks to Kori and everybody in Cardiac Rehab, I went.  I worked out and I survived.  I may not have been smiling the whole time.  But, I always knew it was where I needed to be.  Working in medical is what we do.  It's second nature that we push for others to do everything they need to do to get better.  However, we are the worst patients.  We are super hard on ourselves and we don't want to do the things we ask our patients to do."

Remember this Kor?

Look at all her wires and monitors

Remember she probably felt vulnerable

and scared

and super crappy.

But, you got her through it and she loves you for it.

And so do we.

Thank you so much, Miriam for sharing your story with us.  

This means so much to our family.