Martind has related an experience that I, for one, am going to print out and carry in my purse, in case I ever need emergency medical treatment. He suffered from multiple serious traumas: 27 broken bones, including all the bones in both legs, all the bones in both arms, several ribs, 4 vertebrae in his neck, a crushed ankle, knee and elbow, a punctured lung, and worst of all, the steering wheel crushed his head and he sustained a category 7 brain injury! With these horrendous injuries, he had lost all but about ½ pint of his blood, was unconscious and remained in a coma for 47 days. During that time his wife courageously bore the responsibility of upholding his religious stand on blood as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Many would consider it a miracle that he lived through it to tell us about it.
Importantly, martind’s situation involved many factors that, taken together, worked in a very powerful way to help preserve his life. The medical personnel used their skills in innovative and proactive ways while honoring his wishes not to receive blood transfusions; the Medical Liason Committee of Jehovah’s Witnesses came to the hospital and worked with the staff to explain his stand and offer assistance; an associate of NoBlood was contacted and worked with the hospital staff to provide medical information and resources that allowed his physicians and nurses to treat him successfully without blood. This was clearly a team effort with no valuable energy wasted in conflict over the patient’s refusal of a particular treatment. It appears that these medical providers gave their all to help a human being in need.
While recognizing the amazing value of respect and positive action on the part of martind’s healthcare team, I noted the heartrending post of philologus, which only serves to underscore the vital need for medical personnel to learn and apply true caring and respect for human dignity.

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Jan Grossberg, RN, BSN
Editorial Team