A fan is born!

Excerpts from a very sweet letter:

Dear Paul,

I have worked as a nurse at BIDMC for the past 4 and a half years. Due to some life circumstances (all positive and happy), I am relocating to Los Angeles just after the holidays. Although my heart is joyfully a-flutter in anticipation of my California adventure, it makes for a bittersweet departure from such a gem of an organization and the beloved city that I have called home all my life. These final weeks up have brought on a lot of reflection. And with that reflection, I realized I never thanked you personally for an interaction we had two baseball seasons ago.

I had reached out to you for help with my sister-in-law. For her birthday, I had purchased standing room tickets to a night Yankee game during a pre-season lottery. At the time of the ticket purchase, she was not pregnant. In the weeks before game time, not only was my sister-in-law six months pregnant, but she had been admitted to BIDMC for complications of her pregnancy. She was released but had restrictions. I had inquired with Fenway security if there was anyway we could get a folding chair for her at the game…the answer was uncertain. When the security representative realized I was a BIDMC employee, he suggested I send you an email. With a glimmer of hope for a sole folding chair, I sent you a message to see if you could put in a kind word on my behalf. You in turn contacted folks at the ballpark and almost instantaneously the night become one to remember – we were given complimentary roof deck seats with a food and beverage credit, and I passed the standing room tickets over to my friends at BIDMC.

We sat amongst players from the famed ’67 Red Sox, who were being honored that night. It was so above and beyond a folding chair; we were thrilled and humbled and astonished both by the generosity of the Fenway staff and how you personally acknowledged and took interest in my inquiry. Technically, that was my soon-to-be niece’s first trip to Fenway. She was born at BIDMC later that summer, and my brother and sister-in-law had nothing but positive experiences during their time here. She is now 1 ½ years old, running and laughing and getting into all sorts of mischief as one should at that age. One of her early words was “Reh-saw,” which clearly translates to Red Sox. She’s working on “Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,” but hasn’t quite perfected it. Attached you will find a picture of her this past Father’s Day standing on the dugout at Fenway. There is a picture of us all at the game that night…but it fell victim to a faulty digital camera.

I’ll never forget how you helped create such a lasting memory for my family to share - simply by opening an email and then sending an email. And although a late thank you is not quite the BIDMC way, I do not think it is ever too late to express heartfelt gratitude. Please know how thankful I am, and how much I appreciate how you look after and listen to your employees.

Thank you for keeping BIDMC a place that I will consider home, no matter how far away I move.

With deepest gratitude and a fond farewell,