Over the weekend, healthcare professionals and patients from all walks of life took to Twitter to share some truly phenomenal stories using the hashtag #ShareAStoryInOneTweet, and 100% of them are guaranteed to restore your faith in humanity. Be forewarned though: it's nearly impossible to get through them without sobbing.
1.
You were hit by a car right in front of me while walking your dog I ran to you, did CPR, didn’t think you’d live I was burned out, empty, ready to quit med 6 mo later, you called me on Christmas Eve & told me I saved you And you ended up saving me. #ShareAStoryInOneTweet
2.
25 years ago we were told Ben would never walk, talk or go to school. For a while, it looked like the experts were right. Today, he walks with a walker, uses an electronic talker with his eyes, and is nearly finished university studies. #ShareAStoryInOneTweet https://t.co/cRqQEdOhwf
3.
U collapsed at work (Home Depot).. u were dead when my ambulance arrived. I got u back. U have no idea who I am. I visited Home Depot just to see u during my darkest hours in medical school... ur a reminder that I can do it You saved me back. #ShareAStoryInOneTweet
4.
#ShareAStoryInOneTweet My autistic son can’t understand emotions very well. He finds it hard to judge other people & finds it almost impossible in social situations He rarely shares emotions with anyone but I still remember and cherish the first time he said “I love you dad” https://t.co/eKI7W1kPvg
5.
You were born with an omphalocele and almost no lung capacity. NICU docs sent you home on a vent, told me you'd die when you caught your 1st cold in my office. I did home visits for a year. You're 22 now and I just saw your first baby for his newborn visit. #ShareAStoryInOneTweet
6.
You laid in your cage for 3 days refusing to eat. Tests weren’t giving us any answers. I sat in your cage to do paperwork because your eyes told me you were scared and alone. On day 4 you ate. You wagged your tail. You reminded me why I do what I do. #ShareAStoryInOneTweet https://t.co/GMGgwGC7fW
7.
The first time my patient died, I felt the loss deeply. Everyone told me to toughen up, and grow a thicker skin. I followed that advice and lost myself. Now I teach that we do not have to lose our humanity to become healers; we need to embrace it. #ShareAStoryInOneTweet
8.
You came to me in dire straits and multisystem organ failure. A year later we celebrated your marriage to the woman who gave you chest compressions and a second chance at life. #ShareAStoryInOneTweet https://t.co/5DoG8Gv1Di
9.
2 yo female found unresponsive in a pool. No heartbeat, no respirations. Firemen and then ED physician refused to quit. I woke up & now I have a job I love. Every second is borrowed time. Emergency medicine saved me (still does). ❤️#ShareAStoryInOneTweet
10.
After 6 miscarriages & Lupus diagnosis told couldn’t have children. Wasnt giving up. Eventually pregnant 20 years ago,got to 37 weeks baby stopped growing. Induced, went into shock during delivery. Hubby told we wouldn’t survive. Me & my 4lb 12oz baby now:) #ShareAStoryInOneTweet https://t.co/8oRg3wx9W2
11.
As a med student, I was the only one in labor & delivery who spoke Spanish. I had to translate to a young couple that their full term baby was stillborn. I almost quit #medicine that day. 2 yrs later, she came back, pregnant, and made sure I knew it. ❤️ #ShareAStoryInOneTweet
12.
You were delivered at 26 wks+weighed 790g. Didn’t know if you would live. As a toddler, we wondered if you’d walk+talk. Now, you’re almost six. You play soccer. We’re planning for your g tube removal. You’ve blown all of us away. #ShareAStoryInOneTweet #HealthCareIsAHumanRight https://t.co/EtIcNx210q
13.
You were worried because of abdominal pain. Your husband feared the worst. You had 7 miscarriages previously. The entire ER heard you and your husband shriek and then cry tears of joy when you heard that you were 12 weeks pregnant with twins. we cried too😊 #ShareAStoryInOneTweet
14.
A usual Saturday morning in work. You were in for a minor op.I was with you just as you arrested. That was the day I earned the title of "The rib cracker". This is the card you sent me when you got home . A day we both will never forget. #ShareAStoryInOneTweet https://t.co/dH4KAYx9aX
15.
When you died from cancer at 28, the light went out for me. You were going to change the world with your brilliance. My plans (wife, artist, mother) had to change. We were always a team, so now 11 yrs later I'm a cancer doctor... trying to change the world. #ShareAStoryInOneTweet
16.
Cracked ribs and crushed liver during CPR. We did last-ditch trauma-style damage control laparotomy. pH 6.8. So many in SICU thought you would die. Years later, I was honored guest at your retirement party. #ShareAStoryInOneTweet Posted w/permission of @JaniceA12508982 https://t.co/IB9hAK2SNu
17.
Early days of AIDS epidemic, when nurses would avoid going into pt rooms. I was off-service intern, paged for a young gay man, blind, alone, calling for his mother. Shut off beeper, held his hand, called him son, he didn’t die alone. #ShareAStoryInOneTweet
18.
My big brother, a dedicated paramedic, vaccinating children in Malawi. One day, a woman in labour came to the clinic. You delivered her baby. She named him for you. On the days when I miss you most, I smile knowing there's another Lughaidh in the world. #ShareaStoryinOneTweet https://t.co/XejiTQy5Bf
19.
You had a baby, too small to survive.20 weeks. I was only a resident. Sudden, unexpected, you were to distressed to see him. I held him for an hour until he stopped breathing so he wouldn’t be alone. I have never forgotten. I think of you all the time. #ShareAStoryInOneTweet
20.
You trusted a 28 year old #raredisease patient who did her own research & wanted to repurpose a chemo drug to save her life. You sat down, listened to the data & RWE, said “let’s do it” and gave me my life back. I’m a lawyer now. Thank you Dr. Ahn ❤️#ShareAStoryInOneTweet https://t.co/BCqrNbcoOV
21.
You were shot in the abdomen while holding your infant daughter. I repaired your stomach and liver and removed your kidney & part of your pancreas. It’s been 10 years. You still send me a Christmas card every year. #ShareAStoryInOneTweet
22.
When I first met B, he’d been dead for 20 min. We got him back, inexplicably. He calls me every year on the anniversary. 10 years now. #ShareAStoryInOneTweet
23.
You were 35 with metastatic colon cancer. I was a new attending. Every day for 2 weeks we made origami cranes during bedside rounds. I left for vacation in Chile and 3 days in found a wall covered in paper birds. An email told me you died that morning. #ShareAStoryInOneTweet https://t.co/255yIT5DE0