Added comfort and warmth for Epilepsy patients is transferred through specially made blankets at Covenant Medical Center. The blankets are considered a symbol of protection for patients at Covenant's Epilepsy Monitoring Unit.
Patient Bryson Adams, 21, has suffered from seizures since he hit his head at age five. Like every patient admitted to the EMU, he was given a seemingly simple fleece blanket.
"It hasn't left this bed since they gave it to me," Adams said "To be honest, it gave me comfort. We had been searching for answers and then they gave me this, and it just made me feel more comfortable."
Former EMU Nurse Manager Toni Lowrance said the blanket distribution began when the unit opened two and a half years ago.
"The patients come in and they're anxious, have fear of the unknown, and so we decided we would do something special and it was the prayer blanket," Lowrance said.
The blankets are put together by the neuro board, each one with snipped ends, tied in knots and prayed over in the process, she explained. The project is funded by a grant from the Junior League of Lubbock.
"During the admission process, the monitor techs come in and present them with those blankets," Lowrance said. "And when they present them, they let them know that that blanket has been given to them to keep."
Stephanie Dunkle, the current EMU Nurse Manager, said the blankets are a good representation of the efforts being made by the staff itself.
"They really are the ones who make the patients feel warm and comforted and the blankets are just an added touch to make the patient feel comforted here at Covenant," Dunkle said.
The blankets seem to be fairing well for the patients. Lowrance said many respond with tears of thanks and joy.
"When they leave they're holding on to their blankets, and you know they'll be cherished forever. That's what they say," she said.
That holds true for Adams who hopes to hear answers to the cause of his seizures, very soon.
"I've actually had a few seizures as you can see from my nice hairdo. So, I think so," Adams said as he pointed at his sensor covered scalp.
He hopes to get back to work (and maybe some deer hunting) after he is released Friday ... but not without his blanket.
