Jay R Zinampan
October 2024
Jay R
Zinampan
,
RN
DIALYSIS
WEST LAKE MEDICAL CENTER thru HEALTH CAROUSEL
San Pedro
,
Metro Manila
Philippines
I always think, "If Jay is not giving up on me, who am I to give up on myself?" This is why I will continue fighting the good fight with CKD, for as long as it takes.
Chronic Kidney Disease is as much an emotional and psychological illness as it is a physical one. I visit the hospital twice a week for my hemodialysis sessions. I prepare not only my body for the pain of needle pokes and the possibility of having chills, weakness or dizziness, but also I have to ready my heart and my will to bear the mounting costs of check-ups and medications, the fear of knowing which one of my dialysis batchmates have succumbed to their illness, and the anxiety over what my nephrologist will tell me about my latest lab results. Although I have made friends with some of my fellow patients, I enter and leave the dialysis unit alone. Having CKD can be isolating, and there are a lot of times when it gets tiring, the routine mind-numbingly similar every Monday and Thursday. All of these are just to stay alive.
But as I have discovered in the 3 years that I have been a patient, there is life to be found and much to live for amidst all the pain and suffering of CKD. Dialysis may be treating my kidney, but people are healing my heart and spirit. None more so than my primary hemodialysis nurse, Jay Zinampan. Serving in his role for for more than 10 years, Jay is quiet, calm but his love for his patients and his profession scream so loud that it echoes in the very way of his work. His ability to go above and beyond the call of duty, the patient-nurse connection he so effortlessly seems to create, and his sacrifices of personal ambition for the desire to serve as many of his kababayans in his own country as he can. These are things that no nursing school can teach. I always think, "If Jay is not giving up on me, who am I to give up on myself?" This is why I will continue fighting the good fight with CKD, for as long as it takes. It is the only way to honor Jay, and nurses like him, whose sacrifices and dedication prove that they value not only life, but the quality of life of the patient. It is much easier to fight knowing that Jay is in my corner. Thank you very much, Jay for being a blessing to those of us who are in your care!
But as I have discovered in the 3 years that I have been a patient, there is life to be found and much to live for amidst all the pain and suffering of CKD. Dialysis may be treating my kidney, but people are healing my heart and spirit. None more so than my primary hemodialysis nurse, Jay Zinampan. Serving in his role for for more than 10 years, Jay is quiet, calm but his love for his patients and his profession scream so loud that it echoes in the very way of his work. His ability to go above and beyond the call of duty, the patient-nurse connection he so effortlessly seems to create, and his sacrifices of personal ambition for the desire to serve as many of his kababayans in his own country as he can. These are things that no nursing school can teach. I always think, "If Jay is not giving up on me, who am I to give up on myself?" This is why I will continue fighting the good fight with CKD, for as long as it takes. It is the only way to honor Jay, and nurses like him, whose sacrifices and dedication prove that they value not only life, but the quality of life of the patient. It is much easier to fight knowing that Jay is in my corner. Thank you very much, Jay for being a blessing to those of us who are in your care!