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Letters to Dr. Ray Greenberg, MUSC staff

Since becoming president, I (we) have received many letters commending our faculty and staff for outstanding patient care. These letters, or excerpts from letters, from patients and their families provide ample evidence of their high regard for our clinical services. I am pleased to share some of them with you, and recognize those who are providing skilled and compassionate care. 

Dear Doctors and Nurses:
Our family has been recovering from the loss of our baby daughter. On behalf of my wife, our daughter, and son, I would like to thank all of you for the care that we received. This was a difficult time for our family, and I believe that everyone did an outstanding job in comforting us in our loss.  We knew that there was to be nothing but sadness on the day of delivery. The entire staff treated us with dignity, respect, and compassion in our loss. This made a very trying time a bit easier for both my wife and I. As a family, we greatly appreciate everything that was done, and will always remember these acts of kindness. 

In closing, I hope everyone at MUSC can continue to perform his or her wonderful deeds in the caring of the sick and infirmed. Yours is a noble profession that doesn’t get the credit it deserves for helping us all to live longer, more productive, and happier lives. 

After a personal tragedy like the one we experienced, it is too easy to look at hospitals as a place to put the blame for a loss. But this would do nothing to alleviate the pain of losing our daughter, and would be an unjust indictment of professionals who have worked hard to care for us. You have our many thanks, and will be in our prayers.

Dear Mr. President:
I had the unfortunate experience of an auto accident which prompted my need to be sent to the emergency room for treatment of injuries.

The care provided in the emergency room was outstanding: however my wounds required a surgeon and I had the good fortune of having the opportunity of being treated by Dr. John Sonfield, the surgeon on duty at the time. How fortunate for me to be treated by him. His careful and skillful manner was outstanding. Both my family and I appreciated Dr. Sonfield's patience, careful explanations, and obvious sympathy for all our concerns. We all were made comfortable and we were all given great confidence because of Dr. Sonfield's skill and concern for my family and myself. He is a credit to MUSC, the medical profession, and to our community.

Dear Dr. Raymond Greenberg:
Our daughter came to Dr. Adrian Reuben’s office by recommendation. Knowing she needed a liver transplant, Dr. Reuben began getting test work ready. A donor became available and the liver transplant team, the best in the world, did what God led them to do. We have the highest praise for Dr. Prabhakar Baliga, Dr. Jeffrey Rogers, and Dr. Kenneth Chavin. They have to be so proud of their God-given talents when they look at our daughter now trying to talk and walk again. 

All praise goes to the MUSC hospital and caring people  like Karen Boinest (guest relations).  She has been there for us, finding us a place to stay, taking phone calls for us when we were away for a day, checking on our daughter for us, whatever we needed, she was like family to us. Words can’t say enough about her professional attitude.

Dear Ray:
Because of a medical emergency, I spent the day  in the emergency room at MUSC .

The professionalism displayed by the staff in the ER and the hospital impressed me greatly. I don’t know their names, but their kindness and concern reinforced my belief that our decision regarding the MUSC foundation was the correct one. Thank you so much.

Dear Kim Gadsen:
This note is to express the outstanding services rendered to me during my hospitalization by nurses Catherine Kohler and Norma Jean Scott, as well as support staff Janie Curnell. They are to be commended as they represent MUSC at the highest professional level.

Once again, “thanks” to them and please let them know how appreciative I am. Thanks to all that helped me to be discharged so quickly after surgery.

Dear Dr. Greenberg:
My son and I were an emergency admission to MUSC. He was brought into the world too small (20 oz). I wanted you to know about the excellent care that we received at MUSC. Susan Coffey is an angel and someone needs to check under her scrubs for wings. She and the other staff members of this unit need to be recognized for their great work. My son lived for 28 hours and is now in heaven, even though his time was brief, I truly believe that he was given the best care possible.

In this fast paced world, we never stop to thank the people who care the most. You should be very proud of your staff.

Dear Dr. Ray Greenberg:
I wanted to tell you what a wonderful experience we had at MUSC during my son’s surgery and subsequent recovery. I truthfully ran out of superlatives in trying to describe our experience in a letter to Dr. Richard Gross.

Top to bottom, from Dr.Gross as the attending physician down through the ranks of to the parking lot attendant, I found an almost unbelievable commitment to personal service and quality that I am very proud and thankful for. 

Dear Dr. Raymond Greenberg:
I brought my wife here on the recommendation of Dr. Stephen W. Frye, Tricities Gastroenterology, in Johnson City, Tenn. It was the best recommendation I have ever received! I want to thank you for the excellent service we are receiving from everyone.

I am especially impressed by the friendliness of everyone, especially your house services and maintenance folk. They actually speak to a stranger like me.

I wish to mention a few people by name: Karen Boinest, guest relations representative, Dr. David Cole and his associates and the many nurses. I also want to thank the public safety officers for their assistance.

Sir, you have a fine institution and I will highly recommend it if I ever have the opportunity.

Dear Children’s Hospital at MUSC:
I am writing this letter on behalf of my family and myself. My niece was a patient at the Children’s Hospital for more than 100 days during the course of her short life, only 296 days. 

We are so very grateful for the wonderfully caring staff at the Children’s Hospital and their constant search to help us find a resolution to her many problems. We know that she was brought into our lives for reasons that we come to understand daily. For instance, without her, our family would never have met and made friendships with many of you.

We feel that it was because of you, the staff at Children’s Hospital, we able to have her with us those 296 days. I would especially like to mention the following people as whose brilliance and caring will never be forgotten by our family. Dr. Joel Cochran, PICU; Dr. David Habib, PICU; Dr. Fred Tecklenberg, PICU; Dr. Scott Bradley; Dr. David Fairbrother; Dr. Ashby Taylor; Dr. Shashidhar Pai; Susan Beason. Also PICU nurses: Donna Frances, Jean, Pierre, Randy, and Sharon. Nurses on 8-D and Meducare flight nurses.

Thank you for everything you did for our niece and us. God’s miracles are performed through you on a daily basis.