Saturday, May 7, 2011

Have You Thanked A Nurse Today?


This past week was nurses week. Let me tell you what I learned about nurses throughout my journey this last year. You can live or die depending on who your nurse is. Think about it, who is there 24-7? It's not the doctor. Nurses are the people who take care of you minute by minute. I had the great privilege of being taken care of by some amazing nurses this time last year. I wonder if they even realize how much I appreciate what they did for me or how often my family thinks of them. I might also add that I was a critical care patient being taken care of by labor and delivery nurses. They were amazing.

The first day I was admitted I had a nurse named Cheryl. She stayed by my side from the minute I got there until the minute it was time for her to leave and then some. I know she had other patients but at that moment, they didn't matter. I was her focus. She will never know how much that meant to me. She would even stop by and call to check on me in the time I was there. Then had a nurse named Sam for several days. She was AMAZING. There are no words to express how I feel about Sam or how grateful I am for what she did for me and my family. She didn't just take care of me, she took care of my family. She was with me holding my hand the day I delivered my precious Liam. So was Lauren. She also took care of me several days and was actually my nurse the day I delivered Liam. She was also holding my hand throughout the process. I'll never forget how kind she was during our time of grief and how she took care of my little Liam. I took a turn for the worse and when I needed her the most, I had a nurse named Taber. After I delivered I became even more of a critical care patient due to loss of blood and near kidney failure. Taber was there that day when I was as sick as I've ever been in my whole life. She took care of me and my husband that entire day and I am so grateful that she had a hand in keeping me alive. No lie, I had the opportunity to be cared for by some of the most amazing people on the planet.

Finally, I must mention my favorite nurse of all time...my husband. He's a nurse by day taking care of critical care patients in the ER and spends his evenings taking care of me. He never ceases to amaze me in his strength and ability. He keeps us going and without him we'd be lost. He took the vow of "in sickness and health" very seriously and is always by my side. For that, I am eternally grateful.

Thank you to all the nurses out there for the amazing work you do. You have a tough job and rarely get thanked for it. Most of the time the doctor gets credit, but the doctor couldn't do their job if it weren't for nurses. So thank a nurse and hope that you never need their service.

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