Dr. Files was the cardiologist on service the week we were trying to discharge from the hospital June 2016. While we had never met him before and while all of the cardiologists on service at the hospital had been great, he was immediately so accessible and kind to us. At the time, of course, I didn't know how important he would become to our lives, but he cemented himself in my list of favorite people when he let us discharge that week instead of making us stay as he probably should have, since Job wasn't keeping his feeds down.
He saw us a few days later for our first outpatient follow up and was so clearly invested in Job's care that we requested him as our primary cardiologist for the interstage period (between open heart surgeries one and two). After the second surgery HLHS kids are supposed to start thriving, but when Job didn't and it became obvious Job was too critical to transfer his care down to Tacoma's SCH cardiology branch, Dr. File became our permanent cardiologist. Now, of course, I'm expecting that he will live out his professional career exclusively at SCH so that we can continue to see him every few months (! I still thrill at how far apart our appointments are these days!!) for Job's cardiology care.
Dr. Files is incredibly knowledgeable, of course, but he is, most of all, compassionate and personable (perhaps in part because he himself has a CHD?). He has spent so many hours talking to us, writing us emails, calling us and even standing by Job's crib crying with me after some really scary days. His dedicated research to explore all possible options for Job and willingness to order weird scans and try new medications and experimental procedures got Job off of oxygen.
I love his willingness to tell me hard things, without sugar coating, and his willingness to explain even minute details of Job's care that I don't really understand or even need to know because they are so technical but still desperately want to try to understand.
It is also absolutely essential to make note of the RN in charge of the Single Ventricle Program at SCH: Kendra Waldburger (also picured). We first met Kendra when we toured SCH a few weeks before Job was born. She spent so much time giving us such a detailed tour of the hospital and explaining so much about the SV Program and CICU which made our transfer to SCH so much less scary. And she has been such a beacon of sunshine and joy, lighting up whenever she sees Job or responds to my emails. I will never forget the sound of her sweet voice, calling us almost daily while we were interstage, to check in on Job, or how she would pop into our room to chat with me while we were inpatient and help me scheme to advocate for a cath for Job and other such things. If I need anything I still call Kendra because she always has answer for me or can connect me to the people who can. The SV Program is absolutely phenomenal because of Kendra and I'm so grateful Job is a part of it.
Photography by Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures for this article: https://news.microsoft.com/…/childrens-mercy-app-brings-do…/
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