Nurse Appreciation Week is May 6-12–a wonderful opportunity to thank those who make our lives more comfortable when we aren’t feeling well.
I’ve been blessed with some extra special nurses through the years. I was devastated many years ago when a car wreck put me in the hospital for six weeks. My sons were four-months-old and four-years-old, and I wanted to be home with them. The doctors said I’d never walk normally again, and that I’d have to have a hip replacement within five years. Quite a daunting time for a young woman who wasn’t even 30.
I didn’t get to leave my room for the entire six weeks I was there. All I could see from the window in my room was concrete. That was back in the day when hospitals only had three television channels, and the whole afternoon of viewing choices consisted of soap operas that weren’t of interest to me. I was so bored that I counted the tulips on the wallpaper in my room. There were thousands of them.
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With the pain-filled and boring days, the potential for depression was there, but that’s where my sweet nurses made such a difference. They were so kind as they cared for my needs and tended to whatever needed to be done.
One nurse in particular brightened my days. Whenever she got an extra minute or two, she’d pop into my room just to visit. She brought laughter and sunshine into my days. She gave backrubs that she didn’t have to give because she knew they would make me more comfortable after days of lying in bed.
What still brings tears to my eyes is that she hugged me and cried on the day that I was discharged. She was a nurse who cared, who went the extra mile in her duties. And because of her, my long days and nights became bearable.
There are so many more that I could mention. The sweet nurse who gave me allergy shots for 10 years—and made me laugh while she did it. The nurse who works for my primary care doctor who is always so precious whenever I visit. And the kind nurse who provided calmness when I had to have a scary eye surgery while awake. The list could go on and on.
So today I’d like to just say thank you to all the nurses who deal with unglamorous tasks, cantankerous patients, and long days on their feet. Because of you, patients are saved, care is given, and hearts are comforted. I know that because I am one of those lives that was touched because of you.
Happy National Nurses Week. You deserve way more than that!
