I am 48 years old and have been extremely lucky my entire life; I would go to the doctor for an earache or an occasional sore throat, So doctor's visits and hospitals were nothing I ever had to deal with. So at 48 I was shocked to be told I had colon cancer and had to have surgery. I was terrified to hear CANCER, but I was also terrified to have surgery.
I really did not know what to expect. I figured nurses would come in and give me medicine and move on to their next patient. I know it sounds ridiculous but nighttime in the hospital was very scary to me. When I met my night shift nurse, Jennifer, at first she seemed to be all business...but when she saw how scared I was, she immediately turned from head nurse to friend. She made me feel safe and was sure to let me know that I was progressing exactly the way I was supposed to. She figured me out very fast...she knew I needed to know I was ok but then she would distract me with talking about our kids and life.
I know Jennifer was busy on her 12-hour shift, but she truly went above and beyond to reassure me and comfort me and she even had me laughing. I could tell that she truly cared about me and her goal was not just to complete her 'to do list' for me, as a patient but her goal was to make me smile, make me feel safe and taken care of... not as a patient but as a person. Central FL Regional is extremely lucky to have Jennifer as a head nurse and I am forever grateful that I got to have her as my nurse.
The last time I saw her, her shift was ending, and she stood at the door of my room and she told me she was thankful that she got to meet me and take care of me and that we were supposed to cross paths in life. I know I will probably never see Jennifer again, but she made me feel like family. She made me feel like she should be at my dinner table for the next holiday. I am so thankful for Jennifer... She truly represents what I CARE is all about.