Baby Matthew
Near the close of business on November 13, 2007, Mike Torhorst, RPh, Pharmacist at Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare – All Saints in Racine received a call from a desperate mother. Her one-month old baby was in pain. But this wasn’t just any baby. Baby Matthew was terminally ill and had been discharged from the hospital under the care of a hospice nurse in order to die at home.
Medical expenses had taken their toll. Matthew and his parents were forced to move out of their apartment and were now living in the rectory of a Catholic Church. With little money and no insurance, Matthew’s mother could not find a pharmacy willing or able to make pain medication for her five-pound baby boy. Finally, one pharmacy suggested she try Wheaton Franciscan Pharmacy.
Even though the call came in at the end of the day, Mike immediately contacted Bob Umhoefer, RPh, Director of Outpatient Pharmacies at All Saints to share this mother’s story and start the process for getting the medications. Physicians were called, prescriptions received, and miniscule doses were calculated and prepared, and money for the medication was donated by staff. The prepared prescriptions were hand delivered to the anxious mother 20 miles away – all within 90 minutes.
Four days later Baby Matthew died a comfortable and peaceful death surrounded by his family.
“I am thankful to work for an organization where we put people first,” says Mike Torhorst.
“The empowerment to do the right thing, regardless of profitability, makes working for Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare a unique and very rewarding experience.”
We claim publicly our commitment to providing exceptional and compassionate health care with special concern for the poor. In these actions of our pharmacy in Racine, our claim is validated. Also gratifying is the reputation we’ve established among health care professionals that Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare always takes care of the patient, no matter what it takes.