September 2023
Kai
Bishop
,
BSN, RN, CHPN
12 East
The University of Tennessee Medical Center
Knoxville
,
TN
United States
I felt understood, I felt validated, and I felt compassion.
Waiting for your father to die is incredibly difficult; also, for some, unavoidable. For myself, when faced with a difficult situation, I find myself mentally all over the place. Kai took the time to speak to me and care for me…and I wasn’t the patient. Kai took excellent care of my father, who suffered a stroke. But he took amazing care of me. Now, this may sound simple or even obligatory, but it was more than that. I don’t feel that I was tolerated or managed. I felt that Kai listened to my family story which is not really his job. He cared about the crazy dynamics of my relationship with my father. Kai helped me feel understood regarding the experience of waiting for my father to pass, I felt understood, I felt validated, and I felt compassion. I know that people die every day. But not my father. And Kai made the journey for my father important and not “routine.” Thank you so very much for your compassion, Kai!