Patient orientation

By Deb VanderGaast: I was working in the inpatient rehabilitation unit at St. Luke's Hospital on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. I walked into a patient room and saw a live image on the TV of the first tower burning. As I tried to process what I was seeing and hearing, I saw the second plane hit the World Trade Center.

Time passed in slow motion that day. Patients had to be dressed and prepared for physical therapy and other therapies, and medications had to be administered on time, so we couldn't stop moving. As I worked at the normal brisk pace, my mind was distracted, and I felt as if I was in a fog.

Every time I passed the unit desk, I stopped to ask for updates from the charge nurse that had a radio by her desk. Every time I passed by a window, I scanned the skies for aircraft.

I knew that Iowa was probably the last place on a terrorist list of targets, but being on the sixth floor left me feeling a little vulnerable. My fear grew as I heard the news of the other hijacked flights. It became clear that this was not an isolated incident, but a well-coordinated attack with multiple targets. Who knew how many more targets there were, or how many other ways they might strike.

The most amazing thing to me was how the patients reacted. Many of our patients had brain injuries from trauma or strokes, and were disoriented to place and date. Yet every patient was aware of what was happening that day. Some of the disoriented patients were frightened and had to be reassured that they were not in New York and that they were in no danger. They needed us to help them feel safe when we ourselves didn't feel safe.

The overwhelming thought in my mind that day was, "We are at war!" I was born in 1968, and for as long as I can remember, we had been at peace. We had some military activities overseas, but we were never officially at war. Sadly, we have been at war ever since that day, and there is no end in sight.