A few weeks ago my friend underwent surgery that kept him temporarily bedridden at St. Liam's Hall, the University Health Services building. When I visited him at his luxury pad on the second floor (no sarcasm here — the rooms are nice) I bragged to him about my impeccable health record. It's true — since the day I was born, I haven't been to a hospital or any emergency health center on my own account. No broken bones, stitches, surgeries or serious illnesses.
Apparently I spoke too soon because this past weekend I found myself just sick enough to warrant an unforeseen trip to St. Liam's Hall. Luckily for me (unluckily for them), my parents were in town for the game, so I benefitted from their care and concern.
By 4:30 a.m. on Saturday morning — game day — after being sick with a fever for several hours, my parents decided to take me to the health center.
Off to the health center we went. Once inside, the nurses treated me as if I was their own sick child. They made me feel completely at home, putting me up in a comfortable room, caring for me and encouraging me to ring them at any time.
Several hours later, I felt immensely better after some sleep. My room was so quiet that it was almost easy to forget how noisy the campus below me must have been as tens of thousands of fans gathered for the Utah game.
While much of my senior class was out enjoying kegs and eggs for breakfast, I was nibbling on Saltine crackers and chasing them with tiny sips of Gatorade. It was impossible to be in a bad mood though, with such cheery nurses waiting on my every need.
My new friends at the health center fixed me up so well that although I wasn't able to participate in any tailgating festivities, cheers at the game, or post-game rushing of the field, I was able to join my senior classmates at Finnies that night and enjoy a celebratory ginger ale.
If you have never experienced a stay at the health center, I advise you to get sick right now, or at least pretend to be. Pull a Ferris Bueller and instead of romping around Chicago, enjoy a lazy day of room service in St. Liam's in the company of some of the nicest people around.
Okay, okay, I take it back. Stay healthy! But if you ever do feel really ill, don't hesitate to visit St. Liam's.
As great as the health center is, you never know when you might miss out on something exciting. Like horses showing up, uninvited, to your tailgate and ushering you out of the parking lot, toward the stadium entrance.
The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Contact Blair Chemidlin at bchemidl@nd.edu
