Last night, I witnessed greatness. 

Familiar was the late-night add-on general surgery case, exploratory laparotomy, at Greeley.  The patient was one whose circumstances were really tough to witness. Serious physical neglect over the last 6 months, at least.  Horribly managed diabetes and terrible wounds and sores all along her back, legs, and flank.  The patient had been literally wasting away.  She was in pretty bad shape.  She could barely hear and barely uttered a peep as we explained what we needed to do to rectify her problem.  It was a sad situation to witness.

It was back in the OR, however, that I witnessed greatness.  Robyn Hendershot, one of our OR nurses, showed this patient dignity and respect in the loving way she interacted with her.  She calmly reassured the patient, speaking sweetly to her in her ear and gently calming her by stroking her hair.  Unfazed by her condition, Robyn thoroughly cared for many of her complex wounds. 

This simple and pure act of humanity impressed me.  All those in the OR that night treated the patient’s condition…but it was Robyn who truly treated the patient.   Robyn saw through the physical issues and treated the person underneath it all.  For those brief moments, I witnessed the best of humanity. 

Thank you, Robyn, for the sweet reminder of why we do what we do and, more importantly, WHO it is we are actually treating.  Thank you for the example of love and respect that we should strive to show every single patient.