CREATING A QUIET HAVEN FOR FAMILIES
In their journey to transcend the unthinkable heartbreak of losing their adolescent son, Tom and Otis Clough have created a quiet haven for families with a loved one in the hospital's Neuroscience units.
In early 2005, their 14-year-old son, Jake, was rushed to the hospital's Level I Trauma Center after his bicycle crashed into a pickup truck. Because he was wearing a helmet and received immediate and responsive care, Jake survived the head injury.
His prognosis for a full recovery was excellent. Tragically, he died a month later of complications unrelated to his head injuries after he was transferred to another hospital for rehabilitation.
Following his death, the Cloughs wanted to help others who have family members in the hospital for extended stays. During the month their son had been a patient, the family had wanted to stay close to him, so hospital staff turned an unoccupied conference room into their headquarters. This gave them "a much needed refuge where they could talk with doctors and come together as a family," Mrs. Clough explained.
So the Cloughs designated Jake's memorial contributions and made a personal gift to establish the Jake Clough Family Room in the hospital's new Neuroscience Intensive Care and Neuroscience Progressive Care units. They provided input into the design of the room to make it feel less institutional and more home-like. Equipped with a sleeper loveseat, recliner, table and chairs, television and refrigerator, it allows families to stay together without being far from their loved ones.
"We know how well we were treated and what the hospital did for us," Mrs. Clough concluded. "And we hope other families find peace there."
The Cloughs have also established the Jake Clough Headstrong Foundation to educate bicyclists about safety, injury prevention and helmet fitting. The hospital has provided volunteers to help the foundation give away thousands of free, properly fitted helmets at bike rodeos.