In the blink of an eye on Saturday, March 15, my life changed forever. My mother was taken to Natchez Regional Medical Center Emergency room and was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Even though she had been ill for a while, it was not expected at 3 p.m. on that beautiful spring afternoon. Preliminary paper work such as “do not resuscitate” orders and power of attorney had been done, but I had failed to file them at the hospital.

Unfortunately, I did not have them at the one time I needed them the most. The ambulance driver said that he had to have them — I knew my mother’s wishes and I did not want her to suffer and be placed on life support.

Panicked and crying, I phoned Kay Ketchings, marketing director for Natchez Regional Medical Center on her cell phone to see what needed to be done and to let them know in the Emergency Room that I was on my way to get the papers and to please help me.

Not knowing that my mother had passed, I frantically drove across town. At the hospital, I was met by some of the most wonderful and compassionate people — including the insurance staff, and then into the back where Beth Mason and the nursing staff sweetly gave me the news.

All I can remember is that everyone was so kind, patient and understanding (I don’t even know the names of these people, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart.)

As I walked out of the ER and looked into the sky, I thought about the irony that I had lost my mother in the very place that she had given birth to me and to my baby brother. I remembered when we had our tonsils taken out and I thought about the sweet nurses in the operating room and recovery that helped me so much when I had my shoulder surgery.

I reflected about all my loved ones that had been nursed back to health in this building and the ones that took their last breath at Natchez Regional Medical Center.

Daily, we drive past that building and rarely think about the impact that the hospital has on our life. That building represents life, death, miracles, love, compassion and recovery.

But it is the people in that building that make it so special. Over 300 people go to work every day and take care of us when we need them.

On behalf of the family and friends of Carolyn Wilson, we thank all of you at Natchez Regional for a lifetime of caring for our family and dear friends — may God bless all of you.