Good Corporate Citizens Give me Hope
/The last four 1/2 months have been full of uncertainty and surprises. That much is obvious. When you have traumatic life events, you discover silly little things that worked well in your life, but that suddenly don't work anymore. Some are big things, some are small. You also realize that you're largely at the mercy of others, and some people can make choices that are positive for your life and others make choices that negatively impact your life. During construction, I had a neighbor who made a series of choices that I wish had represented the best that humanity had to offer, but this neighbor made choices that negatively impacted my life.
On the other hand, far more people and organizations made surprising decisions that, in the midst of uncertainty and chaos, gave me hope and provided joy.
Let me tell you about two of these organizations: Delta and Restoration Hardware (RH)
I've been a loyal Delta customer for the last 4+ years, since I moved to Minneapolis and traveled over a million miles in four years for Medtronic. (It seems glamorous...trust me, it's not.) Delta took good care of me, and that circle of great customer service and loyalty is a circle for a reason. I had an international trip scheduled to visit my parents for mid-September, which was just after the accident; we called Delta from the ICU and explained the situation. They asked for my hospital phone number, called to confirm I was in the hospital, and immediately refunded my tickets and sent me a gigantic gift basket full of goodies to the hospital. (Counterpoint provided by an alternative airline that made me jump through hoops, supervisors, letters, and more for a 1/2 hour domestic flight worth $118.) When I realized that I wouldn't fly enough to maintain my loyalty level with Delta, I decided to tell them the whole story and ask for help ... their response was, once again, impressive. They told me they would maintain my status for the year. For those who don't fly, that seems like a silly thing to get excited about, but for frequent fliers, it's a big deal. Thank you, Delta Airline, for showing there is good in humanity.
RH (previously Restoration Hardware) also showed me great faith in corporate citizenship and humanity. I had a beautiful, wonderful, comfortable, plush, and luxurious leather sofa that I've loved for several years. It was perfect for my gigantic body. The problem, after the accident, was that it was so plush that while I could get myself in, I couldn't get out of the sofa without two people helping. Clearly, this was not going to work for the future. I also had a beautiful California King bed...but this too wouldn't work with my new life, which requires me to get wheelchairs around the bed in a relatively small bedroom. I called RH Corporate and explained that my "new normal" meant that I couldn't love my RH furniture like I used to, and that I needed to make some changes. To my amazement, RH agreed to pick up and return my furniture. Thank you, RH, for your compassion and for looking long term to win a customer for life.
There are other examples, and I suspect there will be more. But these will stand out. At the end of the day, these last months have taught me that there is far more good in this world than there are negative forces -- sometimes you need to call, tell your story, and ask for help. I never liked asking for help before, and I don't quite like it now, but almost every time I have, people and companies have shown their humanity. Thank you.