약 한 달 전, 본격적으로 여름이 시작되던 7월 11일부터 8월 13일까지 병원신세를 졌습니다. 높은 산도 아니고 거친 들도 아닌, 아주 평범하고 넓은 국도 14번에서 자전거를 타다가 순간적으로 방심했는지 넘어졌습니다. 아스팔트 한 켠에 넘어진 자전거와 몸을 안전한 길가로 옮긴 후에 집에 전화를 했습니다. 구조신호를 보내면 가끔 승용차를 가지고 나왔던 적이 있으니까, 아내는 별로 놀라지도 않았습니다.
그런 사이에 건너편에 세워둔 승용차 뒤에 10톤 트럭이 멈추어 섰습니다. 길가에서 파는 옥수수를 사서 떠나려는 기사님께 통사정을 했습니다. 날개 달린 천사가 아니라 건장한 트레일러 기사가 적절한 시간에 도움의 손을 내밀어 주었습니다. 그분의 도움으로 조수석에 탈 수 있었고, 자전거도 뒷좌석에 실렸습니다.
우리 라이딩 팀장이신 중화한의원 원장님께 전화를 했더니, 무엇보다 먼저 엑스레이(X-ray) 사진을 찍어보라고 하면서, 뼈를 다치지 않았으면 한의원으로 오라고 했습니다. 그래서 엑스레이 사진을 찍기 위해 동천동강병원 흉부외과 과장이신 박상섭 장로님께 연락을 하고 바로 응급실로 갔습니다. 그날 금요일 오후는 수술준비를 위한 여러 가지 검사를 했고 동천동강병원장님의 배려로 금요일 저녁 바로 수술을 한 것도, 부러진 왼쪽 대퇴골 봉합 수술을 받은 것은 놀라운 타이밍이요 은혜였습니다.
수술 3주 만에 집으로 바로 퇴원을 하려다가 제니스병원으로 옮겨서 재활치료를 받게 된 것도 기막힌 타이밍이었습니다. 집으로 퇴원하려고 마음을 먹고 있을 때, 우리 교회 집사님 한 분이 ‘제니스병원’을 지명하며 재활치료를 받고 집으로 돌아가라고, 힘주어 말하고 바로 사라졌기 때문입니다. 그리하여 제니스병원에 도착하니, 정말 야전병원에서 호텔로 옮겨진 기분이었습니다. 공간과 조명뿐 아니라 모든 분들의 밝은 표정이 참으로 인상적이었습니다.
처음 3주간 동안, 수술환자들이 수없이 들이닥치는 5인실에서는 거의 쉴 여유가 없었습니다. 그러다가 재활병동으로 옮겨서는 환자 중심의 케어를 받는다는 생각이 들었습니다. 무엇보다 제게 특별했던 것은 순차적으로 한 단계씩 재활치료에 임하는 물리치료사 선생님에 대한 신뢰 때문에 다음 재활치료 시간이 기다려졌습니다. 또한 배식하는 분들의 친절 또한 언급하고 싶습니다. 끼니마다 할 일로서 음식을 전달하는 일뿐 아니라, 꼭 눈을 맞추고 인사를 하고 가려고 하는 마음이 특별하게 다가왔습니다.
열 이틀 입원해 있는 동안, 간호사 선생님들로부터 첫날의 미소와 친절을, 퇴원하는 순간까지 변함없이 받으니, 환자로서 치료를 받는 것을 넘어서서, 사람으로서 따뜻한 돌봄을 받는 감동이 있었습니다. 흔히 병원이라고 하면 떠오르는 사무적이고 기껏해야 영혼 없는 친절이 아니라, 따뜻하고 여유로운 미소는 어디서부터 나오는 것일까 하는 궁금증이 서서히 생겼습니다. 친절한 사람들만 선별해서 직원으로 채용했다기보다는, 원장님으로부터 고객을 가족처럼 대하려고 하는 마음이, 모든 의료진과 직원들에게 공유된 결과가 아닐까 하는 생각이 들어서, 경직된 대한민국 의료체계도 언젠가는 따뜻한 업그레이드를 내다볼 수 있을 것 같습니다. 친절은 ‘직장을 아름답게, 나라를 새롭게’ 할 수 있습니다^^
About a month ago, from July 11 to August 13 as the summer heat began in earnest, I ended up spending time in the hospital. It was neither on a high mountain nor over rough terrain, but on an ordinary, wide stretch of National Route 14 where, in an unguarded moment of distraction, I tumbled off my bicycle. After dragging both the fallen bike and myself off the asphalt to the safety of the roadside, I called home. Since I had occasionally sent out distress signals before and she had come to fetch me with the car, my wife was not particularly alarmed.
Meanwhile, across the road behind a parked car, a 10-ton truck pulled to a stop. I pleaded earnestly with the driver, who had just bought some roadside corn and was about to pull away. Instead of an angel with wings, a robust trailer driver extended a helping hand at just the right moment. With his help, I managed to get into the passenger seat, and the bicycle was safely loaded into the back.
When I called the director of Junghwa Oriental Medicine Clinic, who leads our cycling team, he advised me to take an X-ray first and said I should only come to his clinic if no bones were broken. So, to get an X-ray, I contacted Elder Sang-seop Park, head of thoracic surgery at Dongcheon Dongkang Hospital, and headed straight to the emergency room. That Friday afternoon, various tests were conducted in preparation for surgery. Thanks to the thoughtful arrangements of the hospital director, undergoing surgery that very Friday evening to repair my fractured left femur was an astonishing display of timing and grace.
Three weeks after the surgery, I was planning to be discharged straight home, but being transferred instead to Zenith Hospital for rehabilitation was another stroke of marvelous timing. Just as I was making up my mind to head home, a deacon from our church dropped by, strongly urged me to go to 'Zenith Hospital' for rehabilitation before returning home, and then vanished as quickly as he had appeared. When I arrived at Zenith Hospital, it felt as though I had been moved from a field hospital straight into a hotel. Not only were the open spaces and lighting remarkable, but the bright, warm expressions on everyone's faces left a deep impression on me.
During those first three weeks in a five-bed room where surgical patients poured in constantly, there had been hardly any room to rest. But once transferred to the rehabilitation ward, I truly felt the touch of patient-centered care. What stood out above all was my trust in the physical therapist, who guided my recovery methodically step by step; this made me genuinely look forward to each upcoming session. I also wish to mention the warm kindness of the meal staff. Beyond merely delivering food as part of their rounds, their thoughtful effort to meet my eyes and greet me warmly touched my heart deeply.
During my twelve days of hospitalization, receiving the same gentle smiles and kindness from the nurses from the first day right up to the moment of discharge moved me far beyond medical treatment—it was the profound comfort of being warmly cared for as a human being. It made me wonder where such unhurried, heartfelt smiles originated, far removed from the mechanical, routine, and at best soulless politeness commonly associated with hospitals. Rather than simply hiring naturally kind individuals, I sensed that the director's philosophy of treating every patient like family had permeated the entire medical and support staff. It gave me hope that Korea's rigid healthcare system might one day experience a warm, human upgrade. Kindness can indeed 'make workplaces beautiful and renew a nation.'^^
Ongeveer 'n maand gelede, vanaf 11 Julie toe die somer in alle erns begin het tot 13 Augustus, was ek aan 'n hospitaalbed gekluister. Dit was nie op 'n hoë berg of in ruwe velde nie, maar op die doodgewone, breë Nasionale Roete 14 waar ek in 'n oomblik van onoplettendheid van my fiets afgeval het. Nadat ek die gevalle fiets en myself van die teerpad na die veilige kant van die pad gesleep het, het ek huis toe gebel. Aangesien ek al voorheen noodseine gestuur het en my vrou my al met die motor kom haal het, was sy nie juis geskok nie.
Intussen het 'n 10-ton vragmotor oorkant die pad agter 'n stilstaande motor tot stilstand gekom. Ek het die bestuurder, wat pas mielies langs die pad gekoop het en wou wegry, dringend om hulp gesmeek. In plaas van 'n engel met vlerke, het 'n frisgeboude vragmotorbestuurder op presies die regte oomblik 'n helpende hand uitgesteek. Danksy sy hulp kon ek op die passasiersitplek klim, en my fiets is agterin gelaai.
Toe ek die hoof van die Junghwa Oosterse Medisynekliniek bel, wat ons fietsryspan lei, het hy my aangeraai om eers 'n X-straal te laat neem en gesê dat ek slegs na sy kliniek moes kom as geen bene gebreek was nie. Om die X-straal te laat neem, het ek ouderling Sang-seop Park, hoof van torakale chirurgie by die Dongcheon Dongkang-hospitaal, gekontak en dadelik na die noodsaal gegaan. Daardie Vrydagmiddag is verskeie toetse ter voorbereiding vir 'n operasie uitgevoer. Danksy die bedagsaamheid van die hospitaalhoof kon die operasie om my gebreekte linkerdybeen te heg reeds daardie Vrydagaand plaasvind—dit was voorwaar 'n wonderlike tydsberekening en genade.
Drie weke na die operasie was ek van voorneme om reguit huis toe ontslaan te word, maar dat ek na die Zenith-hospitaal oorgeplaas is vir rehabilitasie, was eweneens 'n merkwaardige beskikking van tyd. Net toe ek besluit het om huiswaarts te keer, het 'n diaken van ons gemeente ingestap, met nadruk gesê dat ek na 'Zenith-hospitaal' moet gaan vir rehabilitasie voor ek huis toe gaan, en weer net so vinnig verdwyn. Toe ek by Zenith-hospitaal aankom, het dit gevoel asof ek van 'n veldhospitaal na 'n hotel verskuif is. Nie net die ruimtes en beligting nie, maar ook die vrolike gesigte van almal het 'n diep indruk op my gemaak.
Gedurende die eerste drie weke in 'n vyfbedsaal waar geopereerde pasiënte aanhoudend ingestroom het, was daar skaars rus te vinde. Maar toe ek na die rehabilitasiesaal verskuif is, het ek werklik pasiëntgesentreerde sorg ervaar. Wat vir my bo alles uitgestaan het, was my vertroue in die fisioterapeut wat my stap vir stap deur die rehabilitasie gelei het; dit het gemaak dat ek werklik uitgesien het na die volgende sessie. Ek wil ook die vriendelikheid van die personeel wat die maaltye bedien, uitsonder. Buiten die blote aflewering van etes as 'n daaglikse plig, het hul opregte begeerte om oogkontak te maak en 'n warm groet agter te laat my diep geraak.
Gedurende my twaalf dae lange verblyf het die verpleegsters van die eerste dag af tot met my ontslag dieselfde onveranderlike glimlag en welwillendheid getoon. Dit het verder gegaan as bloot mediese behandeling—dit was die hartroerende ervaring van opregte, menslike omgee. Dit het my laat wonder waar so 'n warm en rustige glimlag vandaan kom, so heeltemal anders as die saaklike, sieldoenige beleefdheid wat 'n mens dikwels met hospitale vereenselwig. Eerder as dat hulle slegs vriendelike mense in diens geneem het, het ek besef dat die hoof se hartsingesteldheid om pasiënte soos familie te hanteer, na alle mediese en ondersteunende personeellede deurgesyfer het. Dit gee my hoop dat die rigiede gesondheidstelsel van Suid-Korea eendag ook so 'n warm vernuwing kan ondergaan. Vriendelikheid kan waarlik ''n werksplek versier en 'n nasie vernuwe.'^^