A Day in the Life: A Social Worker's story
Author: Calen Velervron, July 2017
In my everyday life I get to work in a job that occasionally puts me in a position to be a servant to others. I occasionally think about how some of the Aes Sedai from the books are the social workers of Randland and that is the career I have - so am I actually the modern day Aes Sedai? Not really; they are much more brave, much more selfless and they don't have the team and support I am lucky enough to have. I hope you all take the time to think about ways you can make things happen in your own life. This is a true story about a situation that has happened in the past two or three weeks. I am changing names, genders, and some other facts for anonymity but the story itself is true. Try and remember that everyone has a place to serve.
A year ago, one year old Megan was left in the car at her parents' home. Her parents said it was a mistake and that it wasn't that hot outside and it wasn't a big deal. By the time the helicopter landed at the specialized hospital in my state, Megan's internal body temperature had caused a heat stroke. One of my co-workers was the original responding social worker and little Megan was taken into care for her safety. She ended up spending five days in intensive care and almost a month in the hospital. During that time people helped feed her through a special tube, they helped prepare meals, and a family of volunteers brought her blankets and stuffed animals. The staff at the hospital changed her, held her, and another volunteer stayed with her at night so people from the office could sleep.
Megan was released from the hospital and after working a case plan, a court case, and a group of other services she was allowed to return home to her young parents. She would never be the same; her vision was almost all gone, her development was stunted ,and she would start to have seizures a lot. Her body lost the ability to regulate its own temperature so she had to wear a cooling jacket.
So how did I come upon this case now? Almost a year later? The family had been sending Megan to a preschool for special children. She had been showing up dirty and dehydrated and the school became concerned. Some of the other parents became concerned, so a call to the office was what it took.
The day I was driving out to the home I was never expecting to respond to a bad call. I had thought that after all the work this family had done that although the story is forever tragic at least now they could help raise their child. When I arrived the child could not sit up, she was lethargic and the parents still could not see the issue. I think part of the issue is they are young and literally never knew how to be parents. Not that I am trying to excuse the actions but when you work with these families you begin to try and see the whole horrible picture because its the only way that makes sense.
I had to take Megan that day, I had to get her to the doctor immediately. She was dehydrated and had to have three bags of fluids before she could drink from a cup on her own. I slept at the hospital for three nights and held the child when I could so she wouldn't be alone. The same staff, the volunteers, the churches and the other support from my office and family made that possible. Megan is now with a foster family and she is doing a lot better even if she will never live a normal life.
This story was cathartic for me to write but more importantly I want to point something out. The volunteers, nurses, transporters, family members, clergy, social workers on staff, my coworkers at the state, foster parents, the people who clean the floors at the hospital or make the food or the formula, the people who donate diapers or money, the people who take a second to stop by and offer a smile, who offered to bring magazines, the grandma and her granddaughter that were leaving the hospital and gave Megan her stuffed dog that she held every night - all of those people are servants. My job would never have been possible without them. The small comfort that Megan had in that room would never have been possible without all those people.
I think a lot of times we all say "I would love to help out somewhere" but maybe you don't have a lot of time. Not everyone can do what I do full time - everyone has an important job. But it is possible to serve everyday, even if it is a smile, a magazine to a stranger, a hello to someone who is having a bad day, taking a second to understand someone who is having a bad day, donating blood, donating change or sending positive thoughts and prayers all of those people come together to make things possible. We have to all realize that being part of our community is a big deal, its a way to do something bigger than ourselves and we can do it through collective action.
If you'd like more information about the Robert Jordan Memorial Scholarship that is sponsored here at TarValon.Net to help with education please see this link:
Robert Jordan Memorial Scholarship
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Or you can just be kind in your daily life, every single day reach out to someone and think about what you can do to better your world.
Megan is going to be okay, I got to see her smile the other day. I am so lucky to get to do what I do.
Calen Velervron is a Licensed Social Worker working with Child Protection and he is aware the system isn't perfect - but we can try every day. He will try and write a monthly column about things he has seen and some of them will be stories of success. Remember that anyone can save the world, as long as they start with trying very hard at home.
