This is your space to share your stories with all. Be it a success story or one in progress, we'd love to hear from you. Email us at  Your Voice on our Contatct Us page  for submission guidelines. Win our monthly submission poll for best article/story and have your winners face framed on our home page! 

The summer of 2003 I had to finally gave it up and have my hip replaced. At age 45, the hardware that had been placed for a slipped femoral surgery (age 11) was creating a bigger problem with pain, locked hip and a terrible limp. I was ready. The pain out weighed the fear. I say this because if I knew the result would have been so fabulous and pain free, I would have done this 5 years or sooner. Please, anyone that can relate, do it now. But I want to talk about something else, the wonderful staff that was at the hospital to help me. To the Nurses, I love you. Chocolate chip cookies and Milk while watching the Golden Girls at 2 am make you my heroes. My Doctor, the genius, enough said. But the day after day with the boredom and the lack of things to do, I want to say THANK YOU, to the senior volunteers of St. Barnabas Hospital. By accident I found a TV site that the Hospital broadcasted most of the day. At 2 pm, they had Bingo. The card came on my breakfast meal tray each morning. Oops, most patients in Ortho Hip are 65 plus. Each day 2 seniors sat at a desk in front of a hospital camera and tried to ham it up. Say �Hello� to Betty! About time you got that damn hammer toe and ankle done! Had enough of your complaining! Love you!! And Jane, what about that Diverticulitis�.told you to NOT eat the peanuts! If you needed a VACATION�go to Naples! LOL and Pete, we know you just wanted to come back because your wife doesn't cook! Hernia MY Butt!!!! HAHAHA!!! Okay, let's start. They had a drink mixer with the numbers inside and shook them and opened the top. Nancy would reach in and say�.N 54!!! This continues until someone called the �hotline� and yelled �Bingo� Today was my day!!!! 10 minutes later a hospital cart manned by 2 seniors arrived! It was announced, you are the winner! And you can choose 1) warm hospital socks with treads, 2) lotion, powder and mouth rinse or 3) denture adhesive or cleaner!!! When they looked at me I laughed and they did as well. I didn't read the part that said, �For our Senior Guests�.� I picked the grey socks�I still have them. It occurred to me later that the hospital gives these all out for free to any patient on every other floor. The goof was on me. They also wanted to give me a chance to look at the book cart or get a magazine. What a wonderful bunch of people. Did I forget to say thank you? No I did not, but I forgot to say, God Bless you. You all are terrific. What would we do without you? Ps. Could you add cookies to the cart?
Marie