An Unexpected Arrival
Almost everyone at EMMC knows Anne Stickney, the secretary for our Chaplaincy Services. She has a smile and a friendly greeting for everyone who passes by, and she knows exactly how to make you feel at ease when you are having a rough day.
One of our patients was having a very rough day, and if it weren’t for Anne and her generous nature, it could have turned out to be an even harder day.
An international flight had landed at Bangor International Airport for routine refueling before heading on to its final destination—only this stop turned out to be a little less than routine. A young pregnant woman on the flight went into labor on the plane. Thanks to the quick thinking flight crew, she was removed from the flight and brought to EMMC.
The trouble was that the young woman did not speak English and had no family or friends here in Bangor. That’s where Anne Stickney came in. Anne, who speaks Parisian French, had worked as an interpreter for EMMC for several years, and she volunteered to sit with the patient and help her through the labor and delivery. Anne sat with the terrified young woman for nearly seven hours and provided encouragement and assistance while the woman labored and gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
We often encounter patients and visitors who speak languages other than English, but it’s not every day that a patient arrives in crisis, alone, frightened, and unable to speak or understand our language. Certainly she was glad that someone as caring as Anne Stickney was ready and willing to take the time to help her feel a little less anxious—and demonstrate just one more way that EMMC delivers excellent service.