December 15, 2006

MGHer goes the extra mile to help Mariam

For Aomar Nait-Talb of MGH Unit Services, a regular day on the job involves various housekeeping duties on the Ellison 17 Pediatric Surgical Services floor. Although he has worked on the floor for three years handling routine responsibilities, he recently added one more task to his work — serving as a special friend to baby Mariam and her grandparents.
Like Mariam and her family, Nait-Talb's (at left) first language is Arabic. Because of the shared language, Nait-Talb took the opportunity to speak with Mariam using words familiar to her and spent time with her grandparents as a new family friend while MGH medical interpreters focused on the clinical communication that regularly took place between them and Mariam's MGHfC providers.

"Aomar humbles me with his grace," says Judith Sacco, operations coordinator for Patient Care Services. "He works evenings and either comes to the hospital upon request or on his own to tend to the needs of families like Mariam's who are in the United States for treatment. He has never neglected the needs of patients on the unit while offering his services to others."

When Mariam arrived here for treatment, her grandparents were observing the monthlong Muslim tradition of the Fast of Ramadan. At the end of Ramadan, the custom is to celebrate with friends and family and enjoy a large meal. Knowing that Mariam and her grandparents were away from their loved ones in Iraq, Nait-Talb brought the family a platter of homemade traditional food to celebrate the breaking of the fast.

"This was a huge authentic dish brought in from home that Aomar and his wife prepared for Mariam's grandparents," says Julie Piotrowski, NP, of Pediatric Surgery. "Aomar also ate the meal with them, which was a heartfelt experience for the grandparents being so far from home. I know they really appreciate Aomar and the way he has gone out of his way to help them feel at home."

In addition to the staff on Ellison 17, baby Mariam also appreciates Nait-Talb. "She immediately brightens up and smiles whenever she sees him," says Katherine DiMare, RN, BSN, Mariam's nurse. "He's really become like an uncle to her."

"This is not the first Iraqi patient who Aomar has befriended and helped through difficult times," adds Larry Ronan, MD, director of the MGH's Thomas S. Durant, MD, Fellowship for Refugee Medicine. "He also assisted in the care of two other children who were here for care of war wounds. It is because of great people like Aomar that the MGH has a reputation as a caring, culturally sensitive place."

According to Nait-Talb, reaching out to the family makes perfect sense. "It's a good thing to do," he says. "When they heard me speaking Arabic they were very happy. I am glad that I could help. When you make someone happy, you feel happy, too."