Our Patients are Talking About Us! Comments from Patients of Mason Health

Praise for Mason General Hospital's Emergency Department and ICU Nurses:

Mason Health volunteer Penny LaFleche shared her experience when her husband, Richard LaFleche, came to the Emergency Department on April 21, 2024.

"He was fine one day but then the next, he could hardly stand up and was sleeping all day. At 10 p.m., I finally brought him in to the ER. We were waiting for less than two minutes before they brought him back. They thought it was a cardiology issue since he had had valve replacement surgery the year before. They watched his blood pressure and heart rate go up and down. Dr. James Hartline consulted with a cardiologist and then suggested they check for an infection. They found a urinary tract infection. As it turned out, when we went to Alaska the month prior, Richard had cut his foot and it became infected. The infection had spread and causes sepsis. We were transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and he ended up having three surgeries on his feet. We worked with podiatrist Dr. Robert Cavaliere. All of the nurses in the Emergency Department, ICU and later in Medical-Surgical Pediatrics, were wonderful. I especially want to recognize Dr. Hartline and the ED nurses Rachael Canavan and Robin Blankenbijl. It was amazing to sit there and watch them all figure out what was going on. Richard would not have made it if it were not for their quick thinking."

Caption: Penny and Richard LaFleche with their Eurasier dogs.

My son, 17 years in the making was more than just a hope in the beginning. He was the result of the unwavering determination of numerous doctors who dedicated their lives to understanding the human body and ensuring not just my survival, but also this monumental moment for my wife and me.

This journey began when I was 16 and diagnosed with cancer, and I was informed that I had to undergo a year of intensive chemotherapy. My father had the foresight to question how this treatment would impact my ability to have children. Out of caution, we decided to preserve that opportunity by freezing my sperm at the Fertility clinic at the Swedish Medical Center.

Thanks to the collaboration between Mason General, Mary Bridge Children's Hospital, and Tacoma General, I can proudly say that I have lived more years after beating cancer than before.

Fortunately, when we realized our concerns were valid, I found solace in knowing that my future child was patiently waiting for me while I embarked on a journey to discover the kind of father I wanted to be and find the woman with whom I wanted to share this gift. Sixteen years later, after hard work and saving up, my wife and I traveled halfway across the world to a Fertility clinic on the small island of Barbados to take the next step in making this dream a reality, with the goal of having a January baby.

Upon returning home, we received the exciting news that all our efforts had paid off. We began our prenatal care at the same hospital, Mason General, that played a crucial role in saving my life many years ago.

As it turned out, after spending 16 years frozen, our little one wasn't keen on waiting the full term, and we faced some difficulties that led to the need for induction on Christmas. Thus, our new journey began three weeks earlier than expected. However, with the experience and compassion of the staff at the Mason General Birthing Center, we were able to honor our baby boy's request, and at 12:10 am on December 26th, he made his grand entrance into the world.

So as we start the new year, I find myself overwhelmingly grateful for every doctor, nurse, technician, and even the maintenance and sanitation staff who played a part in this incredible scientific endeavor. While I understand that my care may have been just a moment in the midst of your long careers, it has brought a lifetime of joy to me and my family. Regardless of your role in this vast medical system, I want you to know that your impact on my life and many others like me is immeasurable. Please know that you are deeply appreciated.

Thank you,

Randell Seymour

Praise for Mason General Hospital's Emergency Department and the Mason General Hospital Foundation Auxiliary Gift Shop:

I just went to the Gift Shop after my appointment at the hospital, and I always think about how whatever I buy there helps nursing students, so I always spend too much. The nurses at Mason General Hospital are just always smiling, always polite and always helpful. They always seem to know ahead of time what you need. They are very understanding. I’ve been in the hospital many times over the years, and I’ve always received great care, including in the Emergency Department. Every time I go in there, I get such good service.

-Vickie Rossiter, Shelton

Testimonial from Google Review:

I have been going to Mason General Hospital for many years, and they have always had amazing care for me and my family. Their staff, nurses and doctors are knowledgeable and responsive. Their facilities are new, clean and maintained effectively. I highly recommend them.

Social Media Testimonial:

The MGH Physical Therapy Staff has been supporting us through every single step of my son, Pride's, journey. I can never be grateful enough for their unwavering commitment and love to their profession and their people.

Recently their Speech pathologist and Occupational therapist took a special in-depth course on Food Therapy specifically to help Pride and another girl.

We are just so grateful to Jennifer Owens and Tawnie Easton, they are Godsends.

• Maria Littlesun on her son, Pride Blessings Littlesun’s, treatment

Praise for two nurses at Mason General Hospital

On the evening of Monday 1/31/22 my wife had a sudden and serious complication from an infection that had gone sceptic. We live far out on the edge of the county where EMS is nonexistent. I raced her into Mason General Hospital as she became suddenly very feverish, non-responsive and with the look in her eyes that she was slipping away forever. You need to understand that our relationship may not be typical. This late in life, both 55, we are still each others best friends and she truly is my other half. I was near certain that I would lose her that night. This was a shock to my core and I have faced dangers and fearful times in life but this one was debilitating.

Her condition was immediately apparent to an ER nurse named Allison that took her back for urgent care rather than waiting for forms to be summited. Throughout the night Allison was forthright in communicating with me in a clear and compassionate fashion. Tuesday morning my wife was stabilized and transferred to the ICU wing and the care of a nurse named Amanda, among others. Similar to Allison, Amanda was the epitome of professional and compassionate care -- constantly communicating care and diligently securing a bed in another facility when needs exceeded Mason General's scope, given the urgency to resolve the situation with surgery.

I cannot imagine how tired your whole staff must be dealing with not only the day-to-day trauma, but also the intermittent waves of Covid-19 cases. The added layers of procedure and personal risk serving the community must be fatiguing on every level. Still your staff conducted themselves in a quiet, confident, calm, compassionate manner that not only saved my wife's life but calmed me in a downright hellish 24-hour period of no sleep and worry. I am retired service manager of a large dealership in Thurston County. I understood that I was not, nor were my 93 employees, "in the car business." We were in the people business. Your nurses might work with medical equipment and perform medical procedures but they understand that like me, they are in the "people business." Not simply serving the patient, but day-in-and-day-out dealing with distraught family members. These two nurses are the rocks that the waves of chaos crash into. Unmoving. Unwavering. Determined to stand and do what is required to save and comfort all involved.

Mason Health, and indeed the greater community is blessed to have these two individuals serving us. Swedish Hospital just called and my wife, stable and improving, is ready to come home to continue the post-op healing. As important as that is to me to retrieve her now, I wanted to take a moment and extend a heartfelt thank you to Allison and Amanda and likely others that I may have missed in Tami Beyer's care. They exhibit the epitome of standards and expectations in all aspects of nursing.

- Michael Beyer, Shelton

Kudos to Dr. Pelczar and his MA-C Megan Freeman from a patient Tori Willis

“Dr. Pelczar was informative, kind, and went out of his way to schedule my surgery on a day that worked for me. Megan Freeman, Dr. Pelczar’s MA-C, was always on top of replying to my emails and calls. She helped me to get my paperwork done, answered a couple of post-op questions quickly and thoroughly & made using the portal system a breeze. The surgery staff was lovely. They are great assets to MGH!”

Special Praise for Dr. Rose Ann Rayos from Social Media

I would like to post anonymously on your page about a staff member if possible. Dr. Rayos has been my children’s primary care pediatrician since 2017 and I really enjoy how personal and funny she is. She has no problem putting me in my place and we joke often when I bring my children in to see her.

However, I saw a different side of her today. Dr. Rayos usually works about 8am-4:30pm and last night she came down to see me and my wife before she left for the day as we had a baby at the Birth Center. She did her usual joking and even signed our baby book before she left for the day.

About an hour or two later, I was surprised to see Dr. Rayos back at work. This time she was on a mission and was working. There was an emergent situation that she was called in for and I’ve never seen that serious side of her. By my best count, she had worked for 24 hours straight.

As I woke up from a short nap, I heard Dr. Rayos’ voice in the hall. It was about 2:30 am and I poked my head out to say good morning and she looked very tired but she had her usual smiley happy face.

It was at that moment that I realized she was not human and was instead, a super hero. Please take this time to acknowledge her for her amazing hard work and dedication to her profession.

Most average parents/patients see her as a Monday-Friday doctor. I was used to seeing her not only as that but also a very personal doctor that I call a friend.

For the first time this morning, I saw her as the super hero she is and I was able to see a side to her most average patients don’t ever and will never see and I was also able to see why she does what she does; it is out of pure love for babies and humanity.

She is a very special doctor and we are all blessed to have her with us.