Overview of Julie Labes' Story
This episode of Hidden Brain’s My Unsung Hero, hosted by Shankar Vedantam, features Julie Labes recounting a life-saving moment in an emergency room. Scheduled for gallbladder surgery, Julie developed severe abdominal pain before the procedure. After long waits in the ER, a fellow patient — a nurse — loudly alerted staff that Julie was going into shock. She was rushed in, had her gangrenous gallbladder removed, and learned later that another hour would likely have been fatal. Julie never met the nurse again and calls her “my unsung hero.”
Key events / timeline
- Julie was scheduled for gallbladder removal about 25 years ago.
- A few days prior, she developed escalating, unbearable abdominal pain.
- At the ER she and her husband experienced long waits and dismissive reassurances from staff.
- Julie began shaking and was in extreme pain; another patient (with her mother) watched.
- That patient, who identified herself as a nurse, banged on the glass and insisted staff intervene, saying Julie was going into shock.
- Julie was taken in immediately, had emergency surgery that night, and the surgeon removed a gangrenous gallbladder.
- Her GP later told her the delay likely would have been fatal within another hour.
- Julie never got to thank the nurse who intervened.
Main takeaways and insights
- Small acts of attention and decisive intervention from a stranger can be literally life-saving.
- Healthcare systems can have dangerous delays; an outside advocate or assertive witness can change outcomes.
- Julie’s story highlights the power of bystander action: someone noticing distress and choosing to escalate it.
- The emotional resonance: Julie expresses gratitude mixed with regret that she never met or thanked her rescuer.
Notable quotes
- From the host opening: “My unsung hero is my therapist's sorrow. He said, it's okay. I still love you. You're still my best friend.”
- From Julie recounting the nurse’s intervention: “Listen to me — I’m a nurse. This woman is going into shock, you need to get her in there right now.”
- From Julie’s GP: “Some pain, Julie? You must have been in agony… I’m pretty sure another hour you would have been dead.”
Practical reminders (brief)
- If you or a loved one experiences rapidly worsening symptoms, be persistent with triage staff and communicate severity clearly.
- Having an advocate who can escalate concerns (family member, friend, or medical professional) can be critical in emergency settings.
Call to listeners — how to share your own unsung-hero story
Hidden Brain is soliciting short audio submissions:
- Record your story in a quiet place on your phone, aiming for three minutes or less.
- Email the audio file to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org.
Host: Shankar Vedantam. Contributor: Julie Labes (Royal Palm Beach, Florida).