Shortly before the surgery was to begin, Carly started to get nervous and anxious about what was to come. “Thirty minutes before the procedure, I was given instructions on what to do, but didn’t fully understand the medical terminology being used. I was too shy and scared to ask questions in either language.”
The surgery went well and Carly was soon back in her room. Although she only has positive words for the care and attention she received, something went under the radar. “Still groggy from the anesthesia, I hardly understood the language used to give me postsurgical instructions, and I could not properly convey the situation to the staff.”
In fact, Carly was told to only drink a few sips of water for the next several hours to avoid postsurgical complications. She drank a full pitcher, which quickly sent her to the bathroom with nausea and vomiting. “My Mom was with me but she did not speak French. At that point, it still did not occur to either of us that I may have misunderstood the instructions. I had suddenly lost my French, and I couldn’t understand why or what was going on.” Thankfully, there were no further complications and once the staff understood the situation, they happily switched to English to ensure Carly was comfortable and understood everything moving forward.
Today, Carly Haydt works for Kids Come First and is the Project Manager of the Winning Strategies for serving Francophones. “When I heard the slogan of this new project, it really spoke to me because I could completely relate to it”
You’re not bilingual when you’re sick.
