Imagine
that you are working alone in the emergency room of a hospital. Three people
need your immediate help:
- An 85-year-old grandmother who is experiencing heart pain
- A 35-year-old illegal alien who has been hit by a car
- A 14-year-old who has been stabbed in gang-related violence
Based only on this information which
person would you help first, second and third? The triage would determine
the priority of patients' treatments based on the severity of their condition:
- Those who are likely to live, regardless of what care they receive;
- Those who are likely to die, regardless of what care they receive;
- Those for whom immediate care might make a positive difference in the outcome
What if I
told you that the grandmother smuggled illegal drugs into the United States and
sold them to small children, the 14-year-old was an innocent bystander and the
illegal alien donated a kidney to a little girl who would have lost her life?
Does that cause a shift in your paradigm?
For today’s
gift, I was not responsible for a life and death decision about someone else’s
life; however, as I gave the gift of advice to a friend who is contemplating a
career move, I realized that it could have a significant impact on this
person’s well being. I think my counsel was balanced, since I have experience
in the profession. Because I know this person well, I was able to put it in
context of how they could use their gifts in that new line of work.
In this
situation, the triage was helping someone else evaluate their choices. In the
past, I have been the fortunate recipient of a triage when I have had a tough
decision. It was fun to pay-it-forward.
In Giving,
Robin
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