When we arrived at the hospital, I rushed through the entrance, my heart pounding as I approached the front desk. “My mother, she was just brought in,” I said breathlessly. “Her name is Diana Carlisle.”

The nurse typed something into her computer, then gave me a sympathetic look. “She’s in the ICU. The doctors are with her now. You’ll have to wait a little while before you can see her.”

I clenched my fists, feeling the frustration bubble up again. Waiting was the last thing I ...