I am writing this letter in full support of Whidbey General Hospital. In early February of 2008, I was admitted to the hospital for surgery. My expected length of stay was to be about six days. Due to unforeseeable circumstances, I ended up in the hospital for five-and-a-half weeks.

The staff that took care of me and saw to my everyday needs was incredible. The hardest part of my lengthy stay was not being able to have a private room, until about the last week of my care. During this time, I had many new “roommates” who came and went. Due to the psychological effects of the slow recovery I had to endure, I just wanted to have peace and quiet. I went so far as to purchase a set of Bose headphones, to keep the background noise out.

When a patient is recovering from illness or surgery, relatives and friends drop in periodically to visit. It can be very disruptive to the roommate who might be trying to get some sleep. When the staff told me that I was going to get my “own” room, I was ecstatic. I was able to sleep when I was tired, watch TV when I wanted, and have family visit and chat without feeling awkward, and even having a place to sit.

I want the staff to know how much I appreciated the care that was given to me. Please support Whidbey General Hospital and their efforts to build a new patient care wing.

Dean Hatt
Langley