I assisted one of the doctors with thoracentesis in the ICU on a twenty-eight-year-old drug user who went through septic shock. He was the same age as me. His whole body was swollen and he was unconscious, hooked up to machines. Knowing that about one third of people die from septic shock made me nervous. His pleural effusion was nearly black, I have never seen it that color before. During the procedure, I noticed pictures on the wall of him as a young boy at the lake on a summer day, excited about the four fish he caught. The pictures made me very sad, it was hard to hold in the tears, he reminded me of my son so much. Blonde messy hair and a big smile on his face, so innocent. The provider and staff did everything to help that young man,
