Heather Hennign
July 2021
Heather
Henning
,
BSN, RN, CPN
Pediatric Outpatient Procedures and Sedation
AdventHealth for Children
Orlando
,
FL
United States
From the first moment, the gentleness and the sweetness that literally was Heather, enveloped my son with a force of care that calmed him.
Our son had a long journey of medical interventions, hospitalizations, procedures, etc., on our journey to help his nerve pain. For the family it has been a burden. For my husband and I, it has been a burden. For my son, it has been a long journey of pain. He is used to the hospital. And the hospital… Is… Well… The hospital. It is not so hospitable. A hospital is a set of walls and doors and machines that never stop. Even at his 17 year old 6’3 stature, he has been a child through all of this. And kids don’t like hospitals. Hospitals come with pain and discomfort. And with our son, an aftermath of health benefits sadly has not followed. My kid does not welcome visits to the hospitals, or the procedures, or the IVs. It has always been a time of heightened stress and worry for him.
Then, when he was 15, our visits (for lack of a better word) to POPS began. Our family met Heather Henning that day. Heather was just another nurse to smile to and ask questions to. She was just another nurse who is on the schedule for our son's procedure. But Heather was different from the start. Heather instantaneously knew how to connect with C. She talk to him about his favorite topics, animals. She brought him all of the kid items that might calm him, but she did it in a way that didn’t make him feel like a little kid. She laughed about the buzzy bee but said it helped to calm some kids, so she was just bringing it for him to see. He laughed. She made the IV possible.
From the first moment, the gentleness and the sweetness that literally was Heather, enveloped my son with a force of care that calmed him. Our family knew that this was the first of a battery of nerve blocks that were going to happen, but he knew Heather would be there, too. Apparently, Heather realized that C was coming back. Without anyone asking, she was there for the next one, and the next one, and the next one. I didn’t learn until around the third procedure that she had made sure to be there for him. Who does that? That is something you do for a parent, for your own child, for a dear friend. It’s something you do for someone close. And for Heather, it was her patient. It was my child. And it made the biggest difference in the world. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if that happened always? I mean, it’s nice to go to see the same dentist each time you go. To have that same dentist put your Novocain shot and fill your cavities. Filling a cavity is much less of a big deal than any visit to POPS.
Seeing Heather's smiling face and hearing my kid’s and her conversation was a small slice of heaven. Heather and my son do the whole IV ritual as a team now. She knows he mentally preps for it. She makes him feel cared for, she doesn’t baby him. Heather remembers previous conversations when we return. She swaps stories. Our son actually looks forward to seeing her. We just saw her last week when we popped in for a Covid test, and he asked if she would be there for his next procedure. She hesitated, I know it might not be possible, and she said “Yes… I will be there. I may not be there after the procedure because I have a meeting, but I will be there for you when you get here.” She has been there for him, always. She has rearranged her schedule; she has come in whenever he was scheduled.
Now, I have the chance to nominate her for this nurse of the month thing. So, I looked up the definition of a nurse. I read all sorts of checkpoints at a good nurse should meet. But, in addition to all of the technical and medical skills, a great nurse needs to also care about the patient he/she cares for. Caring can be shallow, or it can have depth. Caring can be forced or genuine. Many nurses show care for their patients, few are the nurses whose care seems to come from the same source of soul that the love for family does. Our son feels like Heather is there for his interest, for his comfort. And maybe that is what makes a great nurse. When the patient feels that they are more like a favorite cousin or a close friend. That’s the feeling that brings calm to kids. And kids know when it’s genuine or not.
So what am I doing here? To find what a nurse should be? If I have to define what a nurse should be, it would be to love your patient as you would your friend. And if I had to give an example of the definition, I would say Heather Henning. I haven’t experienced anything like it before. I wish every child/patient had a Heather in their midst.
Then, when he was 15, our visits (for lack of a better word) to POPS began. Our family met Heather Henning that day. Heather was just another nurse to smile to and ask questions to. She was just another nurse who is on the schedule for our son's procedure. But Heather was different from the start. Heather instantaneously knew how to connect with C. She talk to him about his favorite topics, animals. She brought him all of the kid items that might calm him, but she did it in a way that didn’t make him feel like a little kid. She laughed about the buzzy bee but said it helped to calm some kids, so she was just bringing it for him to see. He laughed. She made the IV possible.
From the first moment, the gentleness and the sweetness that literally was Heather, enveloped my son with a force of care that calmed him. Our family knew that this was the first of a battery of nerve blocks that were going to happen, but he knew Heather would be there, too. Apparently, Heather realized that C was coming back. Without anyone asking, she was there for the next one, and the next one, and the next one. I didn’t learn until around the third procedure that she had made sure to be there for him. Who does that? That is something you do for a parent, for your own child, for a dear friend. It’s something you do for someone close. And for Heather, it was her patient. It was my child. And it made the biggest difference in the world. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if that happened always? I mean, it’s nice to go to see the same dentist each time you go. To have that same dentist put your Novocain shot and fill your cavities. Filling a cavity is much less of a big deal than any visit to POPS.
Seeing Heather's smiling face and hearing my kid’s and her conversation was a small slice of heaven. Heather and my son do the whole IV ritual as a team now. She knows he mentally preps for it. She makes him feel cared for, she doesn’t baby him. Heather remembers previous conversations when we return. She swaps stories. Our son actually looks forward to seeing her. We just saw her last week when we popped in for a Covid test, and he asked if she would be there for his next procedure. She hesitated, I know it might not be possible, and she said “Yes… I will be there. I may not be there after the procedure because I have a meeting, but I will be there for you when you get here.” She has been there for him, always. She has rearranged her schedule; she has come in whenever he was scheduled.
Now, I have the chance to nominate her for this nurse of the month thing. So, I looked up the definition of a nurse. I read all sorts of checkpoints at a good nurse should meet. But, in addition to all of the technical and medical skills, a great nurse needs to also care about the patient he/she cares for. Caring can be shallow, or it can have depth. Caring can be forced or genuine. Many nurses show care for their patients, few are the nurses whose care seems to come from the same source of soul that the love for family does. Our son feels like Heather is there for his interest, for his comfort. And maybe that is what makes a great nurse. When the patient feels that they are more like a favorite cousin or a close friend. That’s the feeling that brings calm to kids. And kids know when it’s genuine or not.
So what am I doing here? To find what a nurse should be? If I have to define what a nurse should be, it would be to love your patient as you would your friend. And if I had to give an example of the definition, I would say Heather Henning. I haven’t experienced anything like it before. I wish every child/patient had a Heather in their midst.