URGENT:PSA: A Warning About UF&Shands

     If you or a loved one live in Florida, especially around the Gainesville area, and have experienced trauma, DO NOT go to UF and Shands. They have caused numerous problems for my family and people I know who have also dealt with them. Only a few of the issues include the death of my grandfather, and the double CAT scan they have just performed on a cousin of mine, despite him having already had one at Starke's hospital. It is imperative to know that every exposure to a CAT scan increases your chances of cancer 5 times. His appendix has been ruptured for days due to the neglectful behavior and attitude of the boot camp he was at to join the Navy, and due to their negligence despite him requesting to see the doctor because of the incredible amounts of pain he was experiencing (and still is despite being on morphine) and refusing him to call his mother, he is in so much pain and is possibly septic, which is very difficult to recover from, and painful. He had to wait for his day off, and if he waited any longer, it is VERY possible that he could have died. Now that he has been transferred to UF and Shands, he is of NO priority to them. He has not been put on any antibiotics, and they are only caring for other patients. The best they have done is given him some morphine, which is still not helping with the pain. It has been at least two days that he has been experiencing this, so this is an urgent message.

     My mother has had enough of the horrible treatment of patients at UF and Shands, and she would like to sue them, as well as the boot camp.

     Now I not only would like to point only a couple of the horrible things the hospital's trauma center has done, but I would like to know how much more evidence would be needed to go against both the boot camp and UF&Shands because of what they have done. Most likely, my cousin's recovery time will be a long and horrible process due to the fact that his surgery has been put on the back burner. My mother has friends who are lawyers, as well as a highly educated nurse, and she would like to help my aunt in case of the worst case which would be his death, or finding him to be septic. This is the last straw for my family, and many other people who have experienced the horrible services this hospital has provided.

If you could at least send your prayers, my family would feel very thankful.

The Beauty of My First Hawker’s Experience

     If you don't know what Hawker's is and you live in Jacksonville (specifically the Riverside and downtown/Springfield area) you are truly missing out on what was one of my most treasured sixteenth birthday memories. Hawker's is a "pan-Asian" street food style restaurant on Park Street around  Riverside.

     My mother went to a friend's birthday party which is where she heard of this treasure. At the party they had an arrangement of favorites from the restaurant, and so when I awoke on my 16th birthday my mother suggested we eat out there that evening. I was so set on eating there, that I begged my mom to allow me to eat there.

     As we went to find what there was online on their facebook page, since they don't have a website for the Jacksonville location (there is also one in Orlando), my mother and I were a bit baffled at the choices. Despite drooling, the menu did not give an idea of price. This wasn't really as big of a problem as we had suspected, considering their prices are low and similar unless of course you order their catering menu (which even then wasn't that much). I would suggest, however, going to their Yelp page for more details. The manager may even be welcome to emailing the menu directly to you.


*Photo not mine, credit to Yelp user Kerrah M.

     As that was the biggest problem we had ordering from them (which we did via phone) the service was amazing. The service was so wonderful that the manager, Timothy Noble, even went as far as to almost give us the food $20 off and to just pay him back (we lost our card as we were ordering). He almost went to do just that before we eventually found the card. This was only one of the many wonderful things the manager did. While on the phone ordering, my mother mentioned something about how it was my 16th birthday, and they proceeded to give me a free ginger cake. When we received the bags of food, Noble's card was attached with a smudged message in blue ink reading "Happy 16th Bday!" which made my mood light up instantaneously. We picked up our food, and as we were walking to our car, Timothy was there carrying a Publix bag. "I knew you guys wanted to have a picnic in the park, so I brought you guys some paper plates," he said (the plates were not of the cheap variety, and this was all after he got off work). He even checked to see if the park was still open. My mother hugged him and they chatted very shortly. He then walked from our car, saying with a joyful smile "Happy Birthday."


*Photo not mine. Credit to Yelp user Ryan K.

     Other than the incredible service, which the Yelp comments do not give justice to, the food itself was absolutely incredible. We got a serving of Korean bulgogi skewers with kimchi, Udon, Pad Thai, Singapore Mei Fun, Papaya Salad, a catering order of Pot Stickers, a Catering Order of Roti, Canton Noodles, and the on the house Ginger Cheesecake. The food was so good. Honestly I could live off of it. The only thing that could have been improved was the Bulgogi Skewers as they were a bit charred, though still delicious. The food was packed nicely for our picnic that we had by the St. John's River at the park, and the utensils were all placed neatly with napkins and sauce packets along with chopsticks and other utensils, which I thought was adorable.

     Overall, I suggest going to Hawker's if you've never been. If you have been, visit them some time soon while they're less busy. The food was amazing, the customer service was out of this world, and it's very convenient. My family and I will definitely be returning.