Today was a really relaxing day, which I desperately needed after pushing it to my physical limits the past few days.
We got to sleep in until around 8, a nice break from waking it up at 5 for the past few days. We then walked over the Cleveland Clinic’s hospital’s own cafeteria where we got a very filling feast of eggs, sausages, and muffins. It was surprisingly good and fresh for hospital food. During the breakfast, we were given a short presentation about the hospital. The hospital basically was an interim hospital for patients that are almost ready to live back at their homes. With that being said, the overall mood of the hospital was very cheerful, unlike the usual hospital. We were then introduced to three teenagers that were rehabilitated at this hospital and their stories. There was this one kid who one day at hockey practice, just collapsed. He had a very unlikely brain injury which led to brain injury. Bad news after bad news, he never fully recovered. I spoke to his father a little bit and he was telling me how he was down and sad for two days. After that, he was the happiest kid in the world doing the best he can. I asked if he had any chance for a full recovery. His father whispered in my ears, “not even a slim chance.” It really hit me hard, how not only can it happen to anyone, but also how the youngling approached his whole situation with nothing but a smile.
After breakfast, we were given a tour of the hospital. The whole tour left a pretty good impression for me. I was really impressed not only by the state-of-the-art technology but also the genuine happiness of all the staff and patients. We went into this one room where this girl who was in her late teens, with blood flowing in and out of her, and she was constantly cracking jokes with a smile on her face. We also visit some of the other wings of the hospital including the Learning Center for Children with Autism. Basically, a wing that looked more like a school with its lockers and classrooms. However, it had not patterns, so it wouldn’t disturb any children with Autism. The lockers were basically noise proof and the pictures on the walls and the ceiling lights had no pattern of its placement. It looked like a hospital room fit for a clown.
After the tour, we had lunch at the garden in one of the quads outside the hospital. It was a pretty standard lunch with pulled pork sandwiches and fruit however the presentation of the food was spectacular and it looked like the food was catered.
After lunch, we had some free time up until dinner which most of used for a really relaxing nap. Once 5:30 hit, we loaded up the vans and drove 30 minutes away to Avon lake. Our sponsors, parents of two Bowling Green Pi Kapps that did the trip last year, served us ribs, fruit, and cookies. It was by far one of the best meals of the trip. What was so great about it was that it was an easy dinner. We had a chance to relax and eat our food peacefully. After the nice dinner, we sat outside in their backyard by a fire pit.
We headed back to lodging where we had a team meeting. It was the second to last team meeting of the trip. It’s crazy how fast it’s been. It really hasn’t hit me yet. We were already talking about the itinerary of DC which was only a week away. We each got a string necklace with a piece of a chain attached to symbolize out brotherhood in a nutshell.
After the team meeting, we went to bed, left with food for thought. Only a week left. Tomorrow, we’re in our last day of Ohio.
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