Kate's Story

Back in December the Seattle area was hit by a huge windstorm and terrible rain. The drains in some areas clogged and there were flash floods in the city. One of those flood trapped a woman named Kate in her basement. The waters continued rising and she drowned.

What the news didn't broadcast was that Kate was a lesbian, and that her partner was on the other side of the basement door as the waters rose, talking to her, trying to save her.

The medics finally arrived - Kate was still alive but critical. She was taken to a local hospital and her partner followed the ambulance. At the hospital her partner was refused access to the woman and she had to frantically call her dying partner's family to get permission...PERMISSION...to be by Kate's bedside. She was referred to as "just Kate's partner" by the medical staff. Kate died hours later.

I can't think about this story without crying, and when I heard that the medical staff actually denied Kate's partner access, I wondered what hospital she'd been taken to. I couldn't imagine it was the hospital I work at because I can't imagine anyone I work with would deny a same-sex partner his or her right to be at the bedside of their dying loved one.

I found out today that I was wrong. It was my hospital.

I am usually proud of where I work. We do a good job. We treat populations that other facilities don't treat. We have the most challenging, complex patients. We have excellent nurses. We work hard.

Today I feel nothing but shame. I can't believe that Kate's partner faced such difficulty and discrimination from people who work for the same institution that I do. I wish I could tell her how sorry I am that she was treated that way while she was in crisis.