Hospital Haunt In Cleveland

It was around 1994-95 when I got hired at one of the major hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio (leaving the name out, but there are several).

I had a medical background & was hired for the Radiology department. Most of my experience was in patient care and secretarial work.

However, I adjusted quickly to radiology. I learned very fast.

After the first year I began to hear stories about a ghost in the basement radiology file room. Every hospital has file rooms where the older patient film cases are stored before they leave the facility to go to a special warehouse for continued storage. Back then we had actual hard copy x-ray films-does 'anyone' remember actual x-ray films? This was several years before going digital. After that point we would burn patient CDs for them to take to Dr. Appointments, or surgeries.

I would, quite frequently, go down to the basement to pull basket loads of film folders for patients to pick up for upcoming appointments, surgery cases, or doctors' case presentations.

I was in the basement file room pulling a lot of films for an upcoming presentation. All I had on my mind was getting all those folders pulled so I could get back up to the office to do some of the other work that was waiting for me. I was quite accustomed to an occasional co-worker, or physician coming in to ask for assistance in looking for something.

I was busy filling the basket when I heard a slight noise over by the desk area. I was standing between the rows of tall metal file cabinets. I was right in a line with the workstation where I could see the tall office chair, & the computer. I heard the office chair squeak. Like someone just moved it or turned it around. Out of my periphery I could clearly see a man of about 5' 8" tall, dark hair, slight moustache, well-dressed with dark pants, a white shirt wearing a long Lab coat with a stethoscope draped around his neck & his hand on the back of the office chair. Nothing unusual there. I turned to face him to ask him if I could help him. Just as I faced him straight on 'poof' he disappeared right in front of me leaving the chair he had his hand on twirling around. Just like that!

I stood there blinking & trying to rationalize what just happened. I was mildly startled, but not the least bit frightened. I recalled the story the other girls in the office had told me. I didn't take them too seriously at the time. I thought they were just slinging the bull to me, the new girl. I was rather fascinated to discover that it was true. My previous paranormal episodes in my life rather prepared me for 'this' instant.

I could scarcely contain my excitement, but I finished my work that I was doing as quickly as I could. When I got back upstairs to the office it must've shown on my face. Karen, one of my coworkers noticed right away. She came up alongside of me and whispered "Did you meet the doc?".

I shook my head in confirmation. I was excited, not scared. I wanted to know if they knew 'who' he was. Karen just shrugged that they didn't really know who he was but figured out that he must've been a previous doctor that possibly worked there many years ago. She told me when she first started it was 15 years before I did. She was working down there pulling films and sending them up in the dumbwaiter that they used just for that purpose. She was just opening the dumbwaiter door to put some folders inside when she saw him from the corner of her eye. She, too, thought he was a real person. She went to ask him if he needed help when he vanished in front of her like he did with me. She wasn't as calm and collected about the incident as "I" was. She dropped what she was doing and ran faster than she ever thought she could out of there. She went next door to the laundry room where she worked before, she went to radiology and sat down in their little office to get herself together.

One of her friends could see something was amiss with her and asked her what the problem was. She told her. The woman nodded and grinned. She told her "Don't worry. He won't hurt you. He comes here occasionally. We'll briefly see him walk in and disappear, but he doesn't really bother anyone.". She told her that they thought he was just curious as to what is going on in the hospital now.

I surmised with the others that he once worked there and must have been very devoted to his profession. Possibly that devotion is what keeps him tied there. I haven't been there now for about 8 years, but I imagine he is still making his rounds like every good doctor does.