Mr. H is a 92-year-old gentleman who has been seeing his doctor faithfully for years. Two weeks ago, Mr. H visited his doctor, his nurse, and me. He told me the following story:
I have been coming to this clinic for a while now. And today it looks like it will be my last time seeing my provider and my nurse. You see, recently I have been diagnosed with non-operable lung cancer. At this current moment of my life, I am not bothered by the thought of dying. What I want you to know is that I will miss the interactions I have with my nurse. She is the most compassionate person I have ever known. When I saw her, I could trust her and tell her the ups and downs in my life. My nurse always greeted me with a smile. At each of the visit, she would always take the time to ask how I am doing before she gets me ready for the doctor. I yearn for that social interaction. When you get to my age, then maybe you will understand what it feels like to watch your closest friends die off one by one until one day, I realized there is no one left. Waiting for my turn to leave this earth is a lonely journey. It is also a scary one when you have no one to talk to about it. Even though I lived with my family, they cannot afford the time to talk and listen to me. I am often alone in the house. I look forward to the rare occasion I get to be out of the house. At the doctor's office, I get to tell my nurse what I have been going through, she would listen and respond in a way that I feel like she gets me. We get along very well, and I am going to miss her. I am going to miss having someone to talk to, and someone who cares about me as a human being, not just a number or another patient of the day. I can no longer return to the clinic. They have set me up for home health due to my terminal diagnosis. Please let my nurse know that I really appreciate her compassion toward me, and I wish her a good life...
After talking with Mr. H, I mentioned him to this nurse. She said she did enjoy spending the extra time she knows that is going to put her behind that day with Mr. H. She worries about the upcoming isolation Mr. H will be facing at home. She told me she had discussed her elderly patient's "unique life circumstances" with her husband, and she plans to write to him regularly. From the look in her eyes, I am proud of her determination in going above and beyond, in order to make her elderly patients feel cherished and not to be forgotten.
I am glad I get to hear this story from Mr. H and this nurse. I know that we as nurses demonstrate compassion through caring for our patients and our loved ones. From Mr. H's narrative, I gain a deeper understanding of human interaction. Due to various reasons and limited resources, some elders are not being treated well in society. Often those elders are in the population we serve at Parkland. Mr. H's experience allowed me to see how vulnerable our patients are, and how valuable we are to our patients. I am honored to witness my colleague's act of kindness toward the patients we care for every day. Having the ability to be compassionate is extraordinary because the act of listening to many is exhausting. It takes so much mental energy to see another point of view and to make the others feel heard. It takes a selfless person to be able to live up to the challenge.
Vanessa is a true DAISY Nurse. Her patients love her, especially Mr. H, who adores her not for what she does in nursing, but for who she is as a beautiful human being.