Daughter appreciates chance to “see” her dad virtually in ICU
With restrictions on visitors, hospitals use tablets and video chat to connect patients with their loved ones.
It wasn’t her first choice but using a tablet and video chat platform was the only choice Michelle* had to see her dad in the intensive care unit in spring 2020.
“Hello Dad! It’s so good to see you!,” she called out over their FaceTime video connection via an iPad®. “Do you know how much I wanted to hop on a plane to be with you? But we can’t travel or visit now.”
John*, her father, happened to be at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield, Oregon during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the hospital had to put visitor restrictions in place as a safety precaution.
The hospital’s chaplain, Lisa Tishman, sat next to John in the ICU, holding the tablet so he could see his daughter.
His breathing tube had just been removed so he was able to smile, share a few words and even ask his daughter how she was doing, says Lisa.
“Oh, Dad we’re just fine! We’re out on the farm, and everybody’s safe,” Michelle told him.
Lisa held the tablet precariously, reaching across the hospital bed, trying to make sure that John’s face was framed in the screen.
Even from the odd angle, however, she could tell that there were tears in his daughter’s eyes.
“Dad, it’s just SO good to see you,” is the sweet refrain that Lisa will always remember from this profound encounter between a father and daughter.
* Names have been changed to protect privacy.
