Celebrating and Mourning: National Trauma Survivors Day 2023
Doesn’t it seem like there is a holiday for everything and anything these days? Some people want to be celebrated. Some enjoy a good celebration. Some are terminal smart asses and just can’t seem to help themselves. I have long celebrated International Talk Like A Pirate Day (September 19). Arrr!!! Mock me and you’ll be walking the plank, Matey!
A random statement that I made to one of my daughters prompted a research deep dive. You guessed it. A Google search. The statement? It was something like “Everything has a holiday. I bet there’s even a National Camel Toe Day.”
I’m here to tell you that in my quest, I found some doozies. If you weren’t highly vigilant this year, you may have already missed the opportunity to celebrate:
National Pass Gas Day (January 7)
National Talk Like A Grizzled Prospector Day (January 24)
National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day (January 30)
Hell Is Freezing Over Day and National Gorilla Suit Day (January 31)
National Do A Grouch A Favor Day (February 16)
National Awkward Moments Day (March 21)
National Lost Sock Memorial Day (May 9)
If you missed out on these gems, don’t fret! You still have these festivities to look forward to for 2023:
National Take Your Pants For A Walk Day (July 27)
National Mad Hatter Day (October 6)
Chucky, The Notorious Killer Doll Day (October 25)
Howl At The Moon Day And Night (October 26)
Plan Your Epitaph Day (November 2)
False Confession Day (November 21)
National Ding-A-Ling Day (December 12)
Of course, I was delighted to find out that my birthday is also Answer The Phone Like Buddy The Elf Day. Only a cotton headed ninny muggins would miss that one.
May 17 was National Trauma Survivors Day. Appropriately situated in the middle of Trauma Awareness Month. You’re probably not going to believe this, but it was also National Camel Toe Day. No, I’m not bullshitting you. National Camel Toe Day. This year, instead of dwelling on the accentuated peaks and valleys of the nether regions of the proud and the oblivious, I decided to reflect on my experience as a trauma surgeon. There’s always next year.
Trauma is a powerful force. It’s a wrecking ball. Bad decisions. Freak accidents. Wrong place at the wrong time. It can transform a vibrant, healthy young man into to an amputee in a split second. It can change a young mother full of life and vigor into a complete dependent in a vegetative state for the rest of her life. It can lead to the loss of grandpa’s independence and freedom. It can be the final blow that leads to the demise of a beloved grandmother. Paralysis. Disability. Chronic wounds. Chronic pain. PTSD. Depression. Addiction.
The human body and spirit has an amazing ability to heal and overcome adversity. It can also throw us the most wicked of curveballs. Some people who shouldn't recover from their injuries do. I’m talking injuries that are almost uniformly fatal. They survive and thrive. I am a witness. Some people who should walk out of the hospital don’t. I’m a witness of this as well. Trauma care is a rollercoaster and keeps the members of the trauma team in a hypervigilant state.
People don’t always acknowledge the baggage that members of the trauma team carry (including the team members), but it is important to know that even when we are celebrating our team’s victories, the close losses and blowout defeats linger in the back of our minds. Some hit harder than others, but they all leave a mark. We may brush it aside or downplay it, but it’s always there. We should absolutely make the time to process and deal with our feelings and emotions. We rarely make it a priority.
We don’t do enough to ensure the mental health of the trauma team. I suspect that this is largely because so many of us are independent, strong personalities that prefer to deal with things our own way and in our own time. I can 100% see myself fighting back chuckles during a mandatory share your feelings time. But the older I get, and the more dents and dings that my armor pick up, the more that I realize the importance of dealing with the impact that participating in all aspects of the care of trauma patients has on me. My own way. In my own time.
Today, I ask that you join me in celebrating the survivors and mourning the less fortunate. I also ask you to join me in appreciation of the selfless sacrifices made by the members of the hundreds of trauma teams across the country that chose to give their all in order for others to get a second chance at life.
Do you have any trauma survivor stories or experiences that you can share?
What are your coping mechanisms for primary and second hand traumatic experiences?
“You are not the darkness you endured. You are the light that refused to surrender.”
- John Mark Green
“From every wound, there is a scar, and every scar tells a story. A story that says, I survived.”
- Craig Scott (Columbine High School Survivor)
“You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”
- Walt Disney
P.S. I hate to even mention this, but it was bothering me. It is a coincidence that this blog ended up being published on Memorial Day. I am in no way casting shade on this solemn day of remembrance, which I hold in very high regard.
