Ashley
Weber
June 2011
Ashley
Weber
,
BSN, RN, CPN
Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders
Children's Hospital Colorado
Aurora
,
CO
United States
Ashley Weber has been a member of the Council for Caritas for over a year now. Through her involvement and dedication to this work we have learned a great deal about Ashley and the type of nurse she is. Ashley works on the Oncology unit as a bedside nurse. Each month we hear about the amazing but stressful stories that happen on her unit. The constant and real stress these patients and families face everyday can be overwhelming for them and the nurses that choose to care for them.
That is where Ashley comes in. At the bedside she provides constant and amazing care for these patients. She does not hesitate to fill her heart up with their struggles and pain so she can take some of the burden from them. She recently was so connected to a patient that when he passed they spoke of her in their eulogy to him. That is the type of nurse that she is. Compassionate, empathetic and above all caring. Ashley deserves this recognition for her bedside care of her patients but that is only the start of her story.
She recognizes the stress that her peers must face every day. The kind of stress that can take over your life, ruin your own health and make this profession a job instead of a passionate calling . Ashley saw herself and others feeling this weight and wanted to do something to help. Her creative and meaningful idea was nothing short of genius. Ashley created a safe and healthy way for her peers and herself to talk about their stress together. It is a secure and private Blog for the staff on her unit called “Bear Hug”. The name fits perfectly because it is all about coming to a place where others who understand exactly what you are going through can listen and give you a big hug! It is a place that you can vent, tell your story or just read about others feelings and know that you are not alone.
That in itself would be enough but Ashley, being the DAISY nurse she is, also took it to another level. She took the time to write to her peers, not just about stories or her own stress, she wrote about solutions. She did her own research on taking care of yourself and being a caring nurse. Then she gave them tools and ideas and new ways to think about difficult situations. Her frame work and words are so encouraging and touching that anyone who gets the privilege to read them will be inspired and ready to face another shift, another difficult diagnosis.
As a member of the Caritas Committee, Ashley has become an amazing testimony to this work of being and staying a caring nurse, even in the midst of stress. She is at the bedside every shift doing the work that not many choose to do. Ashley has found a way to better manage her stress and as an amazing testimony to her dedication to her peers she found creative and meaningful ways to share these tools with them. I want to share a recent note I received from Ashley. I think it puts in her own words what being a caring nurse means to her and the impact she has made with her families and peers too!
“I was taking care of an 18 year old who we thought had viral induced HLH. On Sunday (the day I was taking care of him) we found out he actually had a massive tumor in his liver that had metastasized to his lungs. In the midst of this rollercoaster day (3 platelet transfusions and 2 blood transfusions, CT scan, ultrasound, and diagnosis talk from doctors) his Vietnamese mother asked me to show her how to make tea with the flavia machine. It was like I gave her a million dollars. She was hugging me, holding my hand and thanking me. This simple act, this warm cup of tea, was the only bright spot in her day. It was a highlight of my nursing career, who would have thought...making tea. Meeting basic needs. Being present. Thank you for teaching me this message, I truly believe that is what has made me the nurse I am today and I see it making a difference in my patient's lives as well.”
A simple gesture meaning so much to both her and her patient’s mom. That is what being a DAISY nurse is all about. It is not about the glamour or recognition. It is about being there with people when they are at their weakest and holding them in their wholeness until they can do it again for themselves. Ashley does this every day. She is now teaching others how to do it too. I am proud that she is a member of the Council for Caritas. I am proud that she is a nurse and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate her then to recognize her with the DAISY award she truly deserves!
That is where Ashley comes in. At the bedside she provides constant and amazing care for these patients. She does not hesitate to fill her heart up with their struggles and pain so she can take some of the burden from them. She recently was so connected to a patient that when he passed they spoke of her in their eulogy to him. That is the type of nurse that she is. Compassionate, empathetic and above all caring. Ashley deserves this recognition for her bedside care of her patients but that is only the start of her story.
She recognizes the stress that her peers must face every day. The kind of stress that can take over your life, ruin your own health and make this profession a job instead of a passionate calling . Ashley saw herself and others feeling this weight and wanted to do something to help. Her creative and meaningful idea was nothing short of genius. Ashley created a safe and healthy way for her peers and herself to talk about their stress together. It is a secure and private Blog for the staff on her unit called “Bear Hug”. The name fits perfectly because it is all about coming to a place where others who understand exactly what you are going through can listen and give you a big hug! It is a place that you can vent, tell your story or just read about others feelings and know that you are not alone.
That in itself would be enough but Ashley, being the DAISY nurse she is, also took it to another level. She took the time to write to her peers, not just about stories or her own stress, she wrote about solutions. She did her own research on taking care of yourself and being a caring nurse. Then she gave them tools and ideas and new ways to think about difficult situations. Her frame work and words are so encouraging and touching that anyone who gets the privilege to read them will be inspired and ready to face another shift, another difficult diagnosis.
As a member of the Caritas Committee, Ashley has become an amazing testimony to this work of being and staying a caring nurse, even in the midst of stress. She is at the bedside every shift doing the work that not many choose to do. Ashley has found a way to better manage her stress and as an amazing testimony to her dedication to her peers she found creative and meaningful ways to share these tools with them. I want to share a recent note I received from Ashley. I think it puts in her own words what being a caring nurse means to her and the impact she has made with her families and peers too!
“I was taking care of an 18 year old who we thought had viral induced HLH. On Sunday (the day I was taking care of him) we found out he actually had a massive tumor in his liver that had metastasized to his lungs. In the midst of this rollercoaster day (3 platelet transfusions and 2 blood transfusions, CT scan, ultrasound, and diagnosis talk from doctors) his Vietnamese mother asked me to show her how to make tea with the flavia machine. It was like I gave her a million dollars. She was hugging me, holding my hand and thanking me. This simple act, this warm cup of tea, was the only bright spot in her day. It was a highlight of my nursing career, who would have thought...making tea. Meeting basic needs. Being present. Thank you for teaching me this message, I truly believe that is what has made me the nurse I am today and I see it making a difference in my patient's lives as well.”
A simple gesture meaning so much to both her and her patient’s mom. That is what being a DAISY nurse is all about. It is not about the glamour or recognition. It is about being there with people when they are at their weakest and holding them in their wholeness until they can do it again for themselves. Ashley does this every day. She is now teaching others how to do it too. I am proud that she is a member of the Council for Caritas. I am proud that she is a nurse and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate her then to recognize her with the DAISY award she truly deserves!