A Trip to the Emergency Room

Before leaving Colorado, Tim and I had booked a six-hour private tour of Vancouver for this morning. Tim had never been to Vancouver, and it had been quite some time since I had visited, so we wanted to make the most of our one day here.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. After breakfast in the Gold Lounge, I received a text message from our tour leader Tima, letting me know that she was waiting for us at the hotel entrance. Tim and I walked out to the driveway, where I started looking at my phone, trying to match the license plate number in the text with the cars parked there. Sadly, I wasn’t looking down and missed a small curb. I fell forward onto the pavement, hitting my head directly on my left eye.

Tim and Tima watched in horror as I fell, and everyone rushed to help me up. I was led back into the hotel as the blood was dripping down my face. The hotel’s security director soon arrived with a first aid kit and patched me up as best he could. The skin above my eye had been caught between the frame and lens of my glasses, and, therefore, I could not remove my glasses. It was so bizarre. Unfortunately, I was informed that I would need stitches. Ugh!

Although the hotel offered to send me to the nearest Emergency Room, Tima immediately took charge and knew exactly what to do. She and Tim helped me to her car, and she drove me to St. Paul’s Hospital Emergency Room, the only hospital in downtown Vancouver.

Tima stayed with me as I checked in, and she, Tim, and I began the long wait to be seen. Luckily, I really wasn’t in pain, which was surprising. While we waited, we asked Tima about her story. Tima had emigrated to Canada from Oman, and she now feels that Canada is home. I loved hearing about how she adapted to life here with the help of the Persian community that she is a part of. I have such admiration for people who move to a new country, often knowing no one and not speaking the language.

After more than two hours, I was finally moved to a cubicle, and Tim and Tima remained at my side. 

Tim and Tima Stayed by My Side While We Waited for the Doctor to See Me

When the doctor arrived to check me out, he tried to remove my glasses, and we all yelled, “NO!” He was taken aback, but when he realized what had happened, he seemed as perplexed as everyone had been. He then said that he would have to cut the skin to remove the glasses.

I asked Tim to photograph the procedure, but I’m only including a few of the least graphic photos here! It didn’t take long for him to patch me up, and I walked out with three stitches.

A Very Kind Doctor Patched Me Up

Before and After - After Being Patched Up at the Hotel (left)
and After Receiving Stitches at the Hospital (right)

I asked Tima to take me back to the hotel and to give Tim an abbreviated tour of Vancouver, which she did. Tima was an amazing, thoughtful, and compassionate person, and she made the entire experience much less daunting than it could have been. Tim and I were in good hands with her.

The management at the hotel continued to check in with me to make sure I was okay and to see if I needed anything. The staff at the Gold Lounge was especially wonderful and took great care of me. Although I napped in my room, and although they would have brought anything to me there, I elected to go to the lounge later in the day to enjoy afternoon tea. It was so nice to have everything I needed there and not have to leave to find something to eat.

My Only Photo of the Gold Lounge Doesn't Do It Justice - It Was a Lovely Space