A circle of care, 43 years in the making
When Jerry, a respiratory therapist at Parkridge Medical Center, received a text from his coworker Machele asking him to check on her friend Dale before surgery, he gladly agreed.
It seemed like a simple favor, one Jerry was always glad to do, but it quickly became one of the most meaningful moments of his career in healthcare.
Inside Dale’s hospital room, introductions sparked instant connection.
Dale had spent nearly six decades working at a local food manufacturing plant, starting in 1960 and retiring in 2019.
As they spoke about the company, Jerry began piecing together something remarkable.
“Were you there in November 1982?” Jerry asked.
Dale nodded.
Jerry pressed further, asking if he remembered a young man whose arm had been caught in a conveyor belt.
Dale’s memory was vivid as he quickly recalled the exact situation from over 40 years ago.
He described alarms blaring and the race to help a young man trapped in the conveyer belt of the cold room of Plant One.
“His arm was swollen, bruised and mangled,” Dale recalled. “We didn’t want him to see it, so we covered it and kept his head turned.”
During the situation all those years ago, Dale acted decisively to help save the young man’s arm and his life.
Jerry then lifted his sleeve, revealing a deep scar etched on his arm.
“That was me,” he said. “Forty-three years ago, you helped save my life. And now, I’ll be the one taking care of you.”
The realization left them both stunned.
Nearly half a century earlier, Dale was there when Jerry needed him most. Now, in a moment no one could have scripted, Jerry had the chance to return the favor in the most beautiful way.
“Rarely in life do you have the opportunity to pay it forward to the exact person who was there for you after 43 years,” Jerry reflected with the passion he brings to caring for patients every day.
“I’m so grateful Machele asked me to check on her friend. Who would’ve thought that doing a favor for a coworker would turn into such an enormous blessing?”
Jerry and Dale are an amazing reflection of HCA Healthcare’s mission to the care and improvement of human life. Their story is also a reminder of the wonderful things possible when care and compassion are at the heart of everything we do.