One Stroky’s Journey: Introduction to the Ladies’ Table

Sandra Chisholm, angel of the ladies’ table

At 5 p.m. on Day 7 of my stroke journey, a tech rolled me into the fourth floor dining room of the Singing River Hospital Comprehensive Rehabilitation Center and pushed me up to a table surrounded by ladies, most of them also in wheel chairs. I had been discharged from Ocean Springs Hospital and admitted that afternoon to rehab at Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula, MS.

One of the first things I learned was that patients were strongly encouraged to join in the communal meals in the dining hall.  The second thing I noticed was that the men and women were segregated, women on one side of the room, men on the other.

By the time the tech had locked the brakes on my wheelchair, Sandra Chisholm, a lovely woman with silver hair, had introduced herself.  She promptly acquainted me with each lady at the table. She also included in her introductions their hometowns, providing a simple hook for starting a conversation.

Her gracious act made me feel at home and included. I decided then that if no one else did those introductions when Sandra headed home, that I would give it a try. My insurance was described as “generous,” and I was there for 27 days, longer than most of the others. As a result I encountered roughly three different sets of ladies during my stay.

Once Sandra was discharged, I tried to make sure newcomers received a welcome similar to the one that meant so much to me. My memory didn’t measure up to Sandra’s, but everybody pitched in when I stumbled on names.

Sharing meals with those ladies and seeing everyone working to overcome a variety of serious challenges during therapy cemented a solid sense of community and sisterhood for me. Such a simple thing, but breaking bread together was healing as well as an opportunity to develop new skills for coping with mealtimes, all  in the company of understanding dining companions. More about the ladies' table later.