Dear Editor:

It was a sad week at St. Andrews. On Monday, Sept. 30 I was working for St. Andrews Hospital. Tuesday, I came to work for Lincoln Health with a reduced staff and reduced hours. It was a different kind of work week. Strangely quiet.

On Saturday morning, my mother-in-law, who lives in Damariscotta, said she was feeling dizzy and weak. My wife Sharon and I convinced her to come to the urgent care clinic at St. Andrews with us. There they could check her blood sugar/blood pressure to see what was happening.

Not really an emergency, but too urgent to wait. About one minute before our arrival, she began to present full-blown stroke symptoms. I continued on to the urgent care clinic where she was quickly given cat scans, X-rays, lab work and then treatment.

She was transported as soon as they figured out what was going on. I can't imagine that she could have gotten better treatment anywhere. Kudos to Dr. Murray, Evie, Lisa, Cindy, Brandie and Gail. You made a big difference.

Had we known what was happening when we were in Damariscotta, we would have called an ambulance. But given the circumstances, I think we made the right choice. Everything worked perfectly.

I noticed that my mother-in-law was the only patient in the building. Good for her, but bad for St. Andrews. To say it's been slow at St. Andrews would be an understatement. I have heard people around town talking about boycotting St. Andrews because of what transpired on October 1. That is the wrong way to react. I feel as badly about what we have lost at St. Andrews as anyone. Those people who left are family. It hurts. But if you want to keep what we have left, we must support St. Andrews. If we don't, we will surely lose it. For good.

As of this writing (about 12 hours after the stroke) my mother-in-law's speech has almost returned to normal, she now has no paralysis, and she is getting her strength back. I credit this to the quick reaction and correct response of the staff at the St. Andrews/LincolnHealth urgent care center.

Gerald Hicks
Edgecomb