When to Interfere

I volunteer at a local hospital once a week.  It's a very rewarding experience, and I feel privileged to be able to do this. 
I see nurses, doctors and other hospital staff going about doing their job duties.  I am not part of the staff, so I try to not get in the way of these professionals doing their jobs. 

Today, though, I saw a very interesting thing going on..  I could hear a doctor saying the word "amputation" to a patient that seemed to be barely able to sit on the side of the bed.  I could only see the patient's back. I saw no one else, like family, there with the patient.  I could tell that he was Hispanic and a member of the "underclass."  I try not to judge, but to only describe so that you can get a visual image.  From that brief amount of time, I could tell that the doctor was trying his best to convince the patient that this was the best solution for his health problem.  I passed that scene, and went on to my next patient to see..After I finished, I had to backtrack, hence, I passed once again by the room where the doctor was having the conversation (if you want to call it that) with the patient.  I wanted to go and see if I could translate, or at least, try to advocate for this patient. 

Now, I understand that there are only so many solutions for certain diagnoses, but I still feel guilty for not going into that room to see if I could at least have some sympathetic words for that poor patient who was about to lose a part of his body.  I am a volunteer for the Pastoral office of that certain hospital, so it is part of my job to say some kind words of reassurance to the patients on my list.  I could have prayed for him and patted him on the shoulder to let him know he's not alone.  I can still pray for him now.  I do hope he's OK, and , by some miracle, not need to have the amputation.