When it comes to healthcare, our lives are touched by so many people that have to deal with us on a personal level. Sometimes a very personal level.
I’m fortunate enough to have had only two hospital stays in my life. When I was 5 years old, I had my tonsils out and remembered being angry at the nurse who informed me the freezer was being defrosted and therefore ice cream was not available. Instead, I was served warm gelatin. I felt cheated.
But years later, I had experienced nurses from all walks of life and found that they are often the unsung heroes of the healthcare world.
Shortly after I delivered my son via cesarean birth, the nurse came in and told me I would need to get up before the night was over and sit in the rocking chair. It seemed to be a mile away. I protested and another nurse came in and told me I wouldn’t have to move.
I felt relieved and when the first nurse returned, I informed her that I did not need to get up and move.
“Oh yes you do,” she responded.
That’s when it became clear to me which nurse was in charge. I got up and walked across the room and healed very quickly without any complications. She was a pretty amazing nurse.
Johnson & Johnson recognizes that nurses take care of and heal so many of us, from in-home professional caregivers to emergency room specialists to military medical service personnel.
Nurses make an impact on our lives every day.
In honor of National Nurses Week, please join us in celebrating some Amazing Nurses that have touched your life. From now until May 31st, we’re accepting your nominations for an Amazing Nurse who has made a difference in your life.
Submit your nominations through Facebook or directly through the web at AmazingNurses.com.
To give you a little inspiration, we’ve asked some parenting bloggers to share some of their stories that will touch you in many ways:
Cathy, from Cathy Herard, A Mom Blogger in Maine, shared her writing about her final moments with her dad and the unexpected comfort she received:
“I remember how his breaths got progressively further apart until finally there were no more to count. I remember trying to catch my breath and then I remember rushing out of his bedroom because I knew there was no way I could be present for what would happen next.
Before I knew it, someone was sitting next to me. She wasn’t a family member or a friend, but a hospice nurse. I remember thinking she was so calm and genuinely concerned for me even though we had never met before. I’m not really sure how she could remain so composed while surrounded by so many people in such excruciating pain. It takes a special kind of person to do that job of a hospice nurse.”
Jessica, from Found the Marbles, shared the strength that her nurse provided her when she needed it the most:
“I was 30 weeks pregnant with my first son when my water broke. It was my birthday. I wound up in the hospital, on the maternity floor, praying to not give birth while listening to women down the hallway push out their new babies. A nurse walked into my room while I was crying. I frantically told her that my husband and I didn’t have a chance to do our birthing class and I was afraid. It was not my baby’s time yet and I simply couldn’t think straight. She sat down next to me, looked me in the eyes and gently said, “Honey, you are right. It is not supposed to be your baby’s time yet. But if that baby decided to come tonight, you know what you’re going to do? You’re going to push.””
Charlene, from Charlene Chronicles, had to undergo an emergency C-section to ensure the health of her baby girl and praised two of her nurses:
“When I did wake up, the first thing I saw was the nurse standing next to the bed in the recovery area with my daughter in her arms. Despite all I had gone through the past eight hours, it all melted away when I held her for the first time.
These two nurses were so amazing from the time I walked onto the maternity ward. I cannot begin to tell you how their medical and emotional support helped me through it all, as well as the love from my fantastic husband.”
Kelly, from The Centsible Life, was able to form a bond with the same nurse who helped deliver all four of her children:
“With all four of my children, we had the same nurse either at our births or at our home visit. Peggy was like a part of our family for a long time. While we don’t see her often I think of her fondly because she had such a gentle and positive spirit. I still remember her showing me how to fold up a disposable diaper properly for the first time with my oldest (over 15 now!), and I laugh at how young and naive we were that we didn’t know how to wrap up a diaper!”
Have an Amazing Nurse story of your own? Share it here and, more importantly, go nominate them for this prestigious recognition!
Fadra Nally is a Communications Specialist for Johnson & Johnson. When she’s not working, she’s mothering a precocious 6 year old in the suburbs of Baltimore, MD. In her spare time, she writes all.things.fadra, one of the Top 100 Mom Blogs for 2012 according to Babble.com. She’s also the co-founder of Charitable Influence.