The vast majority of hospitals across the nation have set rules against patient cell phones, or other technologies, being used on their premises. Often there are specific rooms designated to making phone calls or sending out messages because the signals being sent and received, combined with the noise and overall hassle of getting decent reception, cause interference with the treatment process of the patients. Plus, if you think about it, why would anyone in a hospital bed and gown want to be distracted by things going on outside of their room; I would be focusing in on the doctor and finding out what it was going to take to get me out of there. Wouldn’t most people feel this way?
Not former President Bill Clinton. Admitted to New York Presbyterian Hospital’s Columbia campus on Thursday, Feb. 11, Clinton was bypassing the rules to try and do more work on relief for Haiti’s earthquake until one of his aides took the phone away. I can understand trying to get some work done while waiting for results, but this was as he was being wheeled into the operating room!
He clearly missed the health lesson telling people to stay home from work and get some rest when you are sick, especially when your illness requires you to have work done on your arteries. The angioplasty (a procedure where a balloon catheter is threaded through an artery in his leg to blocked vessels in the heart) Clinton received while in the hospital didn’t even faze him. In his statement to the press after being released from New York Presbyterian, he said he felt great and had even done some work on his treadmill that day. I question if this man actually knows how to take a break.
At 63 the former president seems to be ages away from settling into his golden years of retirement. He portrays a “go out there and get ‘em” attitude that is found lacking in much of society. Since the end of his presidency, Clinton has made numerous efforts to aid in such causes as treating and preventing HIV/AIDS through his William J Clinton Foundation. His humanitarian efforts puts to shame many college students determined to make a difference through social activism (not at Whitworth of course) and he has already had two heart procedures in the past six years.
Remember in 2004 when Clinton underwent a four-hour quadruple bypass surgery? He had blockage in all four arteries and yet he bounced back and resumed his fast pace and high profile career barely pausing to catch a breath. This second procedure, however, makes me wonder if maybe it is time for this political icon to take the back seat for a while.
The recent pictures I have seen of him show his face haggard with new lines and eyes that look like they haven’t gotten more than a couple hours of nights sleep. His determination to help the victims of Haiti’s earthquake has resulted 200,000 donations and the allocation of $7 million relief efforts. Unfortunately it has also resulted in pushing his health to the limit.
Clinton’s doctors are saying that there is no connection between his lifestyle and this recent procedure. From what I’ve gathered he eats right and gets plenty of exercise and the need for the angioplasty is something that just happened. I say that there is something not quite clicking there. I’m twenty, in semi-decent shape, have never had a heart problem in my life, but I know that even a week of traveling and getting little sleep makes my body feel like it is about to break.
Maybe he has found the key to staying on top of everything without testing his body’s limits If so, please share! But in all likelihood, I think President Clinton is showing typical human behavior by declaring everything good so as to not show a sign of weakness. If someone is sick, no one relies on him or her to come through and get the job done.
With so much of Haiti’s relief aid riding on his efforts, of course Clinton isn’t going to slow down. His foundation’s Web site even offers a link to, “Send a personalized e-card to President Clinton thanking him for his tireless work to help people around the world and welcoming him back to work.” That sentence in itself seems exhausting to me, but work must go on.
I hope, however, that after accomplishing his goals in Haiti, he will take a small vacation. President Clinton, by no means should you stop working. But, if you are determined to continue making the lives of people around the world better, which we all greatly appreciate it, please take the time to make sure you see the end results. Give yourself a little grace, make sure you are healthy, and then go out there and get ‘em.
OPINION: President Bill Clinton's heart concerns
Published: Thursday, February 18, 2010
Updated: Tuesday, March 9, 2010
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