NO FOOL LIKE AN APRIL FOOL !!!

Today I was set up with the ultimate "April Fool" joke.

I had been away from the hospital doing a bereavement group when I got a call to come back to the ICU because of a family that wanted me there when they took off life support from a mother who was dying.

I went straight to the room and stood by her only son and his friends as they removed the support. I had just shared some scripture and prayer with them and then we ha a circle of prayer.

As I was leaving the room one of our ICU nurses came to me and asked me to see a patient in another room.She told me that the man was the son of a patient who had died a year ago here at Kaiser and that he had developed the same sickness and wanted me to come. I remembered the family so I walked in the room and walked up to the patient followed by the nurse and an ICU doctor.

The patients head was covered in bandages and I was told it was a grave situation.I put my hand gently on the patients shoulder and spoke his name. I said something like, Richard this is Chaplain Martin. Do you remember when we were together when your mother was so sick. I want you to know that I'm here with you.

Then all of a sudden the nurse turned to me and said, Chaplain you need to wake him and at that ,with a sweep of her arm she hit the patient in the head and the head went flying.

Of course this was a set up. The room was filled with laughs as some of the other doctors and nurses came in to see my reaction. My first reaction was a look of surprise and then I said please call my cardiologist.

I'm so glad the staff felt free to set me up with the ultimate prank.