A Very Personal Letter from Margaret Gorman

Dear Friends of IHS, In the past I have written for the IHS blog from my volunteer position as a person who introduces the IHS meal packet program to churches, schools, charities and scout groups who make so many of the meal packets for the University of Virginia (UVA) Medical Center. This is a very rewarding activity. A new viewpoint Today, however, I am writing from the viewpoint of a patient at the UVA Medical Center, where I will be receiving treatment for the next several months. I would like to tell you some stories about what I've heard at the hospital about IHS and what people I encounter there say about the Reverends Clegg and their wonderful work. So gratifying ... the stories I've  heard The first story is from when I chatted with a medical resident in plastic surgery/cancer after she took notes on my case. I asked her if she ever saw one gallon zippered bags with meals in them. She said, "IHS? Oh Yes. I don't know what we would do without them." She then expounded at some length about the desperate situations of people who receive IHS assistance. She was urgent in her desire that I understand just how important this charity is to the medical center. We returned to our business, but before she left to fetch the surgeon, she turned back and said a very heart-felt "Thank you." The next story comes from the Pre-admissions Department where people go to have medical tests done before they enter the hospital for treatment. The EKG technician knew immediately what a meal packet is. She spoke about how far patients travel to come to UVA for their care and how terribly sick many people are by the time they arrive at UVA for care. Many arrive with nothing. The meals, hotel rooms, car seats, co-pays and other services that the IHS provide are essential and not available any other way. This technician, too, expressed profound appreciation to the Reverends Clegg and the unique assistance of the IHS. My final story is about a conversation with a social worker in the cancer center. Her reaction when I told her I help with meal packets was dramatic: She cried. Like the two others, her account of the work of the IHS was about the urgency of the need and about how the Cleggs are available at all times to do whatever they can to relieve suffering and support patients and their families who have no one else to help at such critical and unhappy times. My own story is different I'm local. I have friends and family here to help and I have good insurance. It's difficult to imagine how much harder it would be to be sick if I did not have this kind of support in my life. I am, once again, amazed and proud to be part of the Interfaith Humanitarian Sanctum. If you are considering making a donation of meal packets or funds to go toward hotel rooms, co-pays, car seats or other critical items that IHS provides, you should know that this operation is very effective and very much appreciated by the UVA Medical Center community. Sincerely ... Margaret Gorman