What You See Isn't Always What You Get

My mother is a difficult blood draw. She has veins that "roll," meaning that most times she gets an IV she ends up getting poked several times. And every time she gets out of the hospital, she's covered in bruises, so black and blue she looks like she was in a bar brawl.

Enter Ed. 

Ed is a medical professional (nurse, nurse's aid, tech? not sure) at the Austin Heart Hospital, and one of his jobs is to draw blood. Ed is the only person that my mom has ever had - and that's saying a lot - who can not only stick her successfully the first time, but also do it so that she can't even feel it. He was, by far, my mom's favorite person to draw blood. Ever.

So what's the big deal?

Ed has (what one nurse told me) Tourette's Syndrome. He jerks and moves violently, constantly. He lunges, stretches, touches, and lurches. When some patients see him approach them with a needle for a blood draw, they refuse to let him near them. Understandable, some might say.

But those people would be missing out. When he's focused, Ed's a master.

Just a reminder ... don't judge too quickly; you may miss something amazing.