I had some unexpected surgery last week, from which I am recovering nicely, thank you. Having been otherwise in fairly good health, I had never had an occasion for a stay in Howard County General Hospital until last Sunday night.

Being in the hospital is never all that much fun, unless you really like getting poked and squeezed and prodded by someone every hour or so. But I have to say, as hospitals go, ours must be one of the best. I had a beautiful room that, except for the beeping R2D2 standing at my bedside and pouring a variety of mysterious substances into my veins, might have been a room at the Marriott, with a great view of the winter landscape on Cedar Avenue. The food — when my condition allowed me to finally get some — was pretty good. Maybe not haute cuisine, but at least as good as the local Applebee’s.

But best of all were the people. I must have interacted with some 50 people, including receptionists, nurses, orderlies, physicians, assisting physicians, surgeons, anesthesiologists, dieticians, chaplains, volunteers — and one guy who I never did figure out what his exact role was, but he meant well. Someone was popping into my room every hour or so, day and night. Various medical folks came to consult with me about my condition and answer my questions. Other medical folks would come in to take my temperature and blood pressure, take my blood, empty my commode, fill my water pitcher, change my IV, fix my IV machine (the beeping thing), bring me food, bring me magazines, bring me prayers, bring me flowers that my friends sent. If I hadn’t been quite so sick, it would have been like a vacation in some exotic resort!

Except that I wouldn’t be able to figure out quite which country I was vacationing in, because all these people came (as far as I could tell) from every country under the sun. My surgeon was a cheerful, confident little man who hails from Goa, India. The attending physician was a tall, stately black man whose name suggests African origins. I had charming nurses named Claire, Jackie, Jumoke and Baljit, and several sweet technicians including Marietta, with a Spanish accent, and Roslyn, with a Jamaican lilt in her voice. Each and every one of these people was as pleasant and helpful and patient as you might wish. With people like these coming to our shores (or born here of people who came here from elsewhere) and serving in our medical institutions, who could be anti-immigration?

So all I have to say is, if you just HAVE to go to the hospital, Howard County General is a good place to go.

Coming up

The Savage Community Association meeting is held the first Monday of the month. The next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday at the Carroll Baldwin Hall, corner of Foundry and Baltimore streets in Savage. Plans are under way for the annual Savage Days Festival in early June, and lots of help is needed. So come to the meeting and find out how you can help put on this fun-filled annual community event. For more information, contact Myra Phelps at 240-786-7265.