Working on the Adolescent Unit, I have seen many children come through our doors for treatment and I have had the privilege of seeing our staff in action. I have seen our nurses reach out to these children, into the depths of their despair and anguish, and completely turn situations around by providing a living example of Christ's love to them, and as beacons of hope during troubling times. I would like to share an account which involved Psych Adolescent RN, Joshua Masih.
A patient was admitted after a suicide attempt. Her intention was to end her life and her suffering. This was a very serious attempt: the patient had jumped in front of a moving vehicle. She was hit by the car and had sustained multiple injuries requiring medical hospitalization for several days. Upon arrival to the BMC, she was covered in bruises from head to toe, she was still in pain physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The patient walked onto the unit looking down at the ground, hiding behind the hair covering the front of her face. She made no eye contact with staff. It was clear that the patient was depressed and lacked any source of hope. The patient sat down in the hallway and didn't move, she didn't look up as Josh introduced himself to her, and she appeared frozen, like a statue, mumbling a quiet response only when she had to. As I watched the interaction, Josh took his time with her and explained what was going to happen, how the admission process was going to work. Josh let her know that he would be her nurse, and as her nurse, he was going to ensure her safety and help her through this.
Josh let her know that he would need to ask some questions, as Josh began the assessment, the patient stated that she felt empty, and had no purpose in life. She didn't want to live any longer and felt there was no reason to live. Josh spoke to her calmly and soothingly about how God had created her for a purpose and that He had plans for her and loves her. Josh encouraged her to check out the book Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. Over the next couple of days, I noticed the patient interaction more, and she was beginning to make eye contact with staff and peers.
The next time I saw Josh at work, the patient approached Josh and said she wanted to show him something. She ran to her room and returned with the book, Purpose Driven Life in her hands and a big smile that lit up her face. She told Josh that she had asked her mom to buy the book and bring it to her during visiting hours. I heard her tell Josh that she was beginning to find hope and she was realizing that God did create her for a purpose. I witnessed the joy on Josh's face as he shared verses with her and they prayed together. Josh was overjoyed by the progress the patient was making.
On the day this patient was scheduled for discharge, Josh shared with our team that during treatment team that morning, Dr. C, our attending physician had thanked him. Dr. C reported the patient had shared with her the book she was reading and about her new found hope in Christ has a purpose in life. Josh expressed feeling blessed to be able to work with such a great population and was thankful for the opportunities God had presented him with.
This experience was very uplifting to our team: we were reminded of the gift our hospital's mission, To Make Man Whole, is to the community and of the Lords promise to us as a people, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11.
Months later, Josh updated our team as he had received a text message from one of his friends. Josh learned via the text, Redlands East Valley High School was celebrating National Suicide Awareness Day. As part of the celebration, the principal read stories written by students outlining how they had personally overcome depression and suicidal thoughts. One of the stories read that day was written by Josh's former patient, she mentioned the Behavioral Medicine Center and Josh by name. She recounted how Josh had encouraged her during the lowest moments of her life, she then went on to illustrate how she has found purpose and hope in a life with Christ. The care this patient received has affected not only her life but the lives of those who heard her story.
Josh is such a compassionate and humble person, as he was sharing this update, tears welled up in his eyes and Josh told us, in that moment he knew where he was at and what he does for a living is so much more than just a job, but that God has placed him here for a reason.
This experience was inspiring to our unit and to our team. Working in this area can be demanding spiritually and emotionally, sometimes the outcomes are not what we had hoped, it is important for our team to hear of the successes with our patients, and to have the honor of witnessing this transformation was a gift.
Joshua Masih deserves the DAISY Award because he provided life-altering nursing care to this patient and provides exceptional Care to his coworkers as well.