The Bravery Of A Nurse
We are going on week three of my husband’s
stint in the local hospital. He had an emergency and has been in Intensive Care
waffling between good days and bad days, mixed with a lot of painful
procedures.
It hasn’t been easy. I am there from six in the
morning until six or seven at night, sitting, helping, asking questions.
I’ve had several operations, been to the ER
enough times to have a healthy respect for nurses, but spending the last few
weeks with them in the ‘trenches’ has been a life-changing experience for me.
There is a crew of about twelve women, diverse
in every way you can imagine. Some are from Long Island, my home. Others come
from the Bronx, Queens, and upstate. Many are from Haiti, India, and a variety
of other countries. All of them are dedicated.
I never thought about the bravery of a nurse.
The week my husband had his issues they were bombarded with flu. The ER had
stretchers lining the halls and newbies were brought into the ICU every day. A
snowstorm made driving treacherous. I met the manager of the nurses in the
elevator, coordinating shifts, making sure there would be coverage. While we
close our office if the snow is terrible, and teachers get snow days, I never
thought about the nurses. They travel too, and yet they arrived travel-weary,
managing to fight the blizzard and come back, without question.
My husband is one of the younger patients in
the unit, a veteran of lung cancer, a heart attack, and now to complete his
trifecta, a stroke. He was in a drug-induced coma for almost fifteen days, a
necessary evil with intubation.
I donned a mask as the room filled with flu
victims, sent my adult children from their father’s side, afraid they might
bring the disease home. Signs were posted indicating that all personnel must
wear protective gear when tending to the flu patients.
A feisty, elderly patient was brought in, and
no amount of sedative calmed her. She ripped out her IV, screaming she wanted
to go home. I watched slack-jawed as she managed to get off the bed. Without
care for themselves, the respiration therapist and four nurses barreled into
her cubical preventing her from harming herself.
They did it without donning protective gear,
instinctively reacting selflessly to save a life.
I never realized the scope of a nurses
dedication. While I respected them as professionals, I realized they are so
much more. Like soldiers, they put themselves at high risk, often without any
regard or notice. They have families, children, yet they show up, prepared to
battle disease. Their job involves the most undesirable projects, personal, yet
they manage the grimmest and nastiest with grace and privacy.
Nurses are devoted to their job. They’d have to
be. Their clientele is cranky, and often unappreciative.
When I called one morning as soon as I woke, to
see how my husband fared that night, the nurse covering indicated he had a rough
few hours, nothing they couldn’t handle, and they decided not to alert me. You
see, they felt I needed to rest. I got teary. In all the commotion to save my
spouse, and keep him well, they even thought of me. I felt nurtured and
protected. They made me feel part of their team. I will never forget them.
Nurses are special people, that often go
without being recognized for the excellent service they do for the community.
Their kindness and expertise are vital in times when you need it most.
Doctors are the rocks stars of the hospital.
Nurses are undervalued and in some cases are not compensated enough for the
excellent service they provide.
Thank a nurse, today. They are unique people
and deserve our respect.
If you'd like to read more articles like this one by Carole P. Roman, check out her page on Medium.com:
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