Introduction

What this site is about, and what it is not.

It is not upon the universe to understand us, it is in fact upon us to understand the universe we live within.  And that is the simple goal of this site…understanding.  Let me place it for you:   

Saint Francis Hospital, Hartford, CT. 06105

Center for Cardiac Recovery Unit 10-9

Tuesday, February 20, 2024. Early Afternoon: Bed #1 

My name is Don Barone, I am 71 years old, I have been a professional journalist for some 4 decades and I am the patient in Bed #1. 

I’ve been in the hospital for a couple of days now, I’ve been told I was admitted with suspected Acute Congestive Heart Failure and have tested positive for both COVID & Pneumonia. 

And I’m dying. 

My room is filled with the dedicated professionals of the hospital’s Rapid Response Team, strangers to me doing everything they can to save my life. 

At the time my blood pressure was documented at 58/32.  And dropping. This is the story from the other side of the crash cart, a story of the human experience from within the hospital bed. 

It is NOT a story of faith, or religion, those are personal beliefs that some may hold, that some may not.  It is not a path I will go down. 

In fact, though I want to take you down a different path, a path you may or may not know is there, one of wonder, one of questions, possibilities, hope and love. You see, as you worked on me:

As I lay there dying, 

I saw everything you did, 

and heard just about everything you said. 

db