Chapter VII
ANGELS | The Nurses
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There are Angels among us.
There’s not doubt that the Surgeon, his Fellows, the entire O.R. team are heroes for what is nothing short of saving my wife’s life.
And I don’t want to minimize how much they have done to help her, to give her back to me. To get rid of this scourge of Cancer from her body. It is a debt I will never be able to repay.
Before we came home Saturday night, my wife was resting, and it gave me some time to think.
Less than two days before Christmas.
And I watch as these nurses come and go, doing what they do to take care of an entire ward full of Cancer patients.
They work 12 hours shifts.
And they never stop. They go from one room to the next, constantly attending, updating, working.
But it’s their attitude and demeanor that grabs me.
They’ll be here over Christmas. They won’t be able to have time with Family during the Holidays because they drew the schedule that said they have to work.
You’d never know it. They are so kind. So compassionate. So caring. They talk to Dafna, they share stories, and tell her she’s not bothering them at all when she feels like she is. They treat her as though she is their only patient when clearly, she isn’t. They help her, they answer questions, they are some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met.
Every time we have left, whether it was from the PACU, or a shift change in the GYNOC Hospital Room Wing, or both times when we were discharged, the nurses made a point to come into the room to say goodbye.
This is AFTER they’ve gone over the discharge paperwork. They seem to genuinely care about Dafna and want her to get well. The night nurse from Friday night who is just coming on shift, and since Dafna is already discharged won’t even have to come in to do a shift change, comes running into the room with her hands raised, “wohooo” she says saying she’s so glad that Dafna gets to go home.
Who are these amazing angels?
They have so many patients who come and go, some with horrible outcomes, some better. How do they do what they do?
How do they care so much about this woman that means so much to me.
I can’t explain how touching it is to me that they recognize how special Dafna is and that they care enough to want to wish her well too.
And they always remembered my name too. Sure it’s written on a board but that they take the time to learn it, or even look at it, so that when they ask if there’s anything else we need it’s not just, “Dafna can I get you anything? Sir, anything for you?” it’s “Dafna can I get you anything? What about you Michael, do you need anything?”
I fucking hate Cancer. I hate what it does to people. I hate that these amazing nurses have to work so hard against such an onslaught.
The Doctor told us about how busy they are. How the next expansion of their hospital which hasn’t even started yet won’t be enough to handle the ongoing increase in patients they’re seeing.
But I am so incredibly grateful for these wonderful people who saved my wife’s life, who’s care for her could not have been more kind if we had been their own family.
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