It Takes a Village

As I'm sure most of you have noticed, it has been a pretty terrible cold season. Here at Fordham, practically all of my friends have been sick with some kind of nasty bug, whether it's a cold, the flu or even just the wintertime sniffles. But with the arrival of spring coming up soon, we can hopefully trade our dayquil for sunscreen and relax on Eddie's (the big green lawn in the center of campus) under some much needed spring sun. I am especially looking forward to this because I have had a pretty scary month as far as winter bugs go. My asthma, which is normally very controlled, took a turn for the worse when I got a nasty case of bronchitis and had to be hospitalized. This simple case of bronchitis actually turned into one of the most difficult months I've had at Fordham. And I can honestly say that the help and support I received from the Fordham administration and community helped me through this trying time. While I was going to write this blog post on another topic, I couldn't think of a more fitting topic than how being part of a university with such a dedicated staff and student body made this difficult time much easier than it would have been otherwise.

The first way Fordham helped with through its student organization, Fordham University Emergency Medical Services or FUEMS. I had woken up and my breathing was in such a bad state that my roommate called them so they could bring me to the hospital. Their office is on the other side of campus and they arrived at my room only 8 minutes after she had called. They handled the situation with professionalism and compassion. They took me in their ambulance to the hospital, all the while monitoring me and even calling my parents for me. When I arrived, they stayed with me longer than they had to, even informing the doctor about my symptoms. Their compassionate dedication to their patients is truly inspiring, considering this is a volunteer organization and they do not get paid for the service they provide.

After being treated by an extremely kind doctor at St. Barnabus, I had to go home with my parents and visit allergists in my area to figure out what caused the problem and how to prevent it in the future. As a result of my condition, I had to miss many days of schools and even some exams during midterms week. Since I had never had to miss this many classes, I was scared that I would fall behind or that I would not be able to make up my exams. What I found was the opposite, my professors were extremely accommodating, offering notes and makeup exam times to fit my schedule when I returned. And while my friends called my and visited me all the time to check in on how I was, I also received calls from the Fordham heath office to ask about how I was feeling and to arrange checkup visits where a doctor could listen to my lungs and ensure that I was getting back on track to health.

I can happily say that my asthma issues are getting under control now and I am back to being mostly healthy. However difficult this experience was, I am extremely grateful for the assistance I received from Fordham. I am so happy that I go to a school where I am more than just a number; and while I had mentioned this statement to prospective students and even in some of my posts on this blog before, this experience made me realize just how true it really is.