April 5th was the first day we posted about a patient who was in the ICU awaiting a heart transplant. We had learned of her blog from a news story on that day. The television station had learned of the patient's story from the blog that her father was managing to help keep friends and family in the loop.
The patient's father had never run a blog before. The sole reason he started blogging was to get the word out about his daughter's situation, and to keep friends and family updated. He wasn't a social media strategist, nor did he have any aspirations for fame or accolades - he simply wanted to write about his daughter's fight to survive. And the writing was and continues to be heartfelt, passionate, and informative.
The passing-on of the patient's story took on an organic flow - it went from blog to the news media, to being posted through our various social media channels, back to the news media, and so forth. The community took notice - they started to send her personal emails through the hospital website. They sent well wishes through our Facebook page and her blog. The telling of her story happened through natural evolution - as natural as it can get when you combine traditional media, social media, and a father's infinite love for his daughter.
Her story was heard by many, and a surprise was planned and organized through posts on Facebook and her blog. On April 24th, over 100 of the patient's friends, family and strangers who had followed her story wore the shirts being sold on her blog and gathered in the park across from her hospital window, where they formed a "heart" and sang songs to her, encouraging her to get well soon. The St. Louis Fire Department showed up unexpectedly, and lifted a firefighter via the ladder five flights into the air to show her a t-shirt and tell her they were rooting for her. A local news station covered it, and it was great to see.
This is a great example of how a partnership of different mediums can form naturally, and produce incredible results. Sure, we received more traffic than usual to our blog, and our Facebook fanbase increased during this time. But that's not why we told her story, and continue to tell it. We do it because our audience told us to. And we do it because it's a part of the exceptional care we try to provide to our patients.
Showing posts with label heart transplant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label heart transplant. Show all posts
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Empathy
The healthcare community is unique in that they are searching for and expecting much more than what they might get from a car company or airline when it comes to social media. They are looking for empathy. Compassion. A deeper connection than most from their provider.
I see firsthand the challenges that many members of our community are dealing with. The tremulous wait for a donor heart. A solid diagnosis to a long and heady ailment. More time and resources to do everything and anything for a patient. These challenges affect our patients, our employees, and are felt by those that know them. They seek comfort and answers to one of the hardest questions - why?
In telling a patient's story through the use of social media tools, I find it's more than okay to add a personal message - it's not just okay, it should be done. Regardless of what faith any of us subscribe to, wishing our patients, employees and community well lets them know we're not just in it for the story.
We were recently made aware of a young woman who is in dire need of a heart transplant - she is on the list, awaiting a donor, and received an LVAD to keep her heart beating. Her father has been keeping a blog of her progress, and is candid in what she's going through and how he's feeling. Frequently, prayers are listed and pleas to a higher power are made as they seek an happy resolution to Megan's situation. I posted an interview this morning that her father did with a local station over the weekend. I didn't hesitate to add at the end of the post how we are pulling for her. We pull for all of our patients. When we tell their stories, we should say so.
So whether it's healthcare or another non-profit organization, it's important to give tribute and show our feelings to those who are so selflessly giving of their stories. That's what engagement and relationship-building is about - the caring.
I see firsthand the challenges that many members of our community are dealing with. The tremulous wait for a donor heart. A solid diagnosis to a long and heady ailment. More time and resources to do everything and anything for a patient. These challenges affect our patients, our employees, and are felt by those that know them. They seek comfort and answers to one of the hardest questions - why?
In telling a patient's story through the use of social media tools, I find it's more than okay to add a personal message - it's not just okay, it should be done. Regardless of what faith any of us subscribe to, wishing our patients, employees and community well lets them know we're not just in it for the story.
We were recently made aware of a young woman who is in dire need of a heart transplant - she is on the list, awaiting a donor, and received an LVAD to keep her heart beating. Her father has been keeping a blog of her progress, and is candid in what she's going through and how he's feeling. Frequently, prayers are listed and pleas to a higher power are made as they seek an happy resolution to Megan's situation. I posted an interview this morning that her father did with a local station over the weekend. I didn't hesitate to add at the end of the post how we are pulling for her. We pull for all of our patients. When we tell their stories, we should say so.
So whether it's healthcare or another non-profit organization, it's important to give tribute and show our feelings to those who are so selflessly giving of their stories. That's what engagement and relationship-building is about - the caring.
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