Nurses

This girl makes me so proud.  She has accomplished much and has not let any obstacle stop her from achieving her dreams.  Most recently, she earned a Bachelor's of Nursing degree, while working full time and parenting an awesome and spirited two-year-old with his own challenges.  She amazes and inspires me.

Have you ever really thought about nurses?  Maybe not, if you and your relatives have been fairly healthy and have not experienced medical crises.  And that's okay.  But if you haven't, I want to tell you how crucial they are when you have a family member in need.  It makes every single moment in that hospital room more bearable when you have a nurse who has your back.  It makes it possible to look away from the constant monitoring of every breath and heartbeat.  He or she can read your needs and talk you down from the wall that you did not even know you were climbing.  They will feed you little bites of hope in your darkest moments and will act like it is all in a day's work.  They go home, gratefully, to their healthy family, make dinner, tuck the kids in bed, and return the next day for another dose of caregiving.

One of the most inspiring nurses I encountered was a woman who had lost her sixteen-month-old son to a rare and fatal disorder.  She was in charge of Angela's care in the middle of a serious blood infection that she contracted while in the hospital for another long illness.  We were over three weeks in and we truly did not know if she would go home with us.  During this time, our nurse was positive and encouraging as she administered drug after drug to try to beat the infection.  "This will be the one", she said, time after time.  She told us she thought Angela would get well, sat with me, and even held my hand.  She spoke fondly about her son, but not about the loss.  I will never forget it.  I have so many more stories like this and so many memories of wonderful nurses.  I will not forget.

Nurses are my heroes and I could not prouder that Kirsten is one of them.  She has and will continue to change lives.  She has the gift of compassion and the desire to make others' lives better.  I want to leave you one more message about nurses by my favorite author, Kelly Corrigan.  You can see it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9caaa-DJ8HU

If you know a nurse, please thank them for their work.  There is no greater giftl