The Love I Have for the St. Louis Mercy Hospital

Mercy hospital has had a strong impact on my life both good and bad. When I was younger I remember going up floors in the elevator and on to the floor. We would visit my mom while she worked late. Sometimes we would walk by the window that showed the outdoor garden. Sometimes we would go outside to the garden. Everytime I went and got my yearly check up my mom was there. After check ups and doctor appointments we would go to the pharmacy and get snacks or candy. Then my mom switched departments. Sometimes my grandma would drive me to my appointments but my mom would be working and would be able to go to the appointment with me. I liked seeing my mom at work. I liked talking to her friends and hearing about the work drama. My mom was really cool. She found out that her hair was naturally really curly and I thought that her hair was also really cool.

I enjoyed going to the mercy hospital when most people probably didn’t. Nostalgia and my childhood was in the walls of that hospital. After the summer of 2023 I went to the hospital with my mom a lot, but it wasn’t because I needed a check up or I wanted to see her at work. It was because she was now the patient. A brain surgery patient. My mom had a stroke that summer and spent the next 2 years relearning how to walk, talk and experience emotions completely. I spent a lot of time in that hospital(and other rehab centers) checking in on my mom and waiting for surgery to be over. Late nights and long days.

It’s been almost 3 years since the stroke and she no longer spends a lot of time at hospitals and rehab centers. Now it’s mostly just outpatient therapy. She still has trouble walking and spends lots of time in a wheelchair. She still can’t move her left arm and has double vision. My mom will never be the same because of a doctor and a hospital but I also know that she wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for doctors and hospitals.

I miss my mom’s curly lob and her taking me everywhere. I miss seeing her in the audience in every tennis game and every band performance. She no longer works and I miss seeing her at work. I miss getting to talk about the books we read because it’s so hard for her to read now. At one point it felt like my mom was no longer there but she’s more present now. I hope she’ll be able to be more present through my sister’s high school career.

Even though everything has changed at home my mom is still the same person on the inside and the mercy hospital hasn’t changed, just how I see it.