My stepmom, Sue, died a few years ago
from lung cancer. She never smoked and
was a very healthy woman. We think it
was from the radiation treatments she received 40 years before while in college
at Indiana University. She was diagnosed
with stage-4 Sarcoma and given
6-months to live. About 4-years later she was still alive and going
through the trials and struggles of many different types of surgeries, experimental
treatments, and chemotherapy.
I was really lucky to be able to spend
time with her over this four-year period. It is time I will cherish for my entire life. One
of the most important things I learned through her many years of going to see
doctors; visit specialists; receive treatments (including chemotherapy); working
through physical therapy, and having invasive surgeries. I learned that the nurses she dealt with and
that helped her were all remarkable caring people, and this wasn’t just a few nurses,
it was every single one of them. They
all had personalities, they were all different people, and all were able to be
firm and caring at the same time. They
all were doing their jobs and cared about doing their jobs, but overall, they really
truly cared about Sue.
I am not a very spiritual person, but
when I would see and hear the stories of these nurses it made me think that these
people are doing something for other people that goes above and beyond what is
comprehensible to me. I saw it firsthand
when I took Sue to one of her treatments or appointments. When I wasn’t able to be with her at these
appointments, she would share stories about the nurses that would take care of
her. Every time they would do things
that go beyond, way beyond. She shared a
story of a young man that had worked in a white-collar job in the marketing department
of Burger King for 15+ years, he had a good 9-5 job with a great salary but
decided to quit and move into nursing because he wanted to help people. She would talk about the nurses at the
chemotherapy that knew her name every time they saw her and took the time to
listen to the stories Sue had since they last saw each other. She would talk about how the nurses were
amazing people. Up until her last days
in hospice, the nurses were there for Sue, not just available, but there for
her physically, emotionally, and as a friend.
One of the nurses told me that Sue had shared with her how scared she
was of death but didn’t want any of her kids to know. Another nurse told me that Sue had shared with
her the emotions of knowing she wouldn’t be able to see her grandchildren grown-up; and how she knew that Sue was so proud of all of the kids and that she
would talk about how much she really loved all of us.
Doctors are critical, and we all
highlight how many of them are on the frontlines today helping out with this
global pandemic. Doctors are Amazing! I can tell you that I am astonished whenever I
meet a doctor because they are such brilliant people doing things that I could
never imagine doing. We all realize how much we need doctors, but I never
understood how important nurses were. Don’t
get me wrong, of course, I knew they were very important, but never knew how much
nurses do as well as how many people they touch. How many people they connect with or comfort
or just become friends with every day.
The treatments she received from doctors;
the surgeries she underwent lead by some of the world-renowned surgeons; the
strategies she would get from the oncologists, and the diagnoses she heard from
some of the best specialists in the world, all didn’t matter if it wasn’t for the
compassion and caring of the nurses that helped her every day and cared for her
every night. As we go through this
COVID-19 pandemic I only can hope we all recognize that we have to do everything
we can by supporting our healthcare workers, and realize that the doctors are
critical to us all being well, but the nurses are what will save us.
Please do everything you can to help out
every healthcare worker. Stay at
home. Wash your hands. Keep your family safe. Donate to healthcare workers to keep them
safe. Of course, do whatever you can to
support these amazing people!
Images: Flickr CC Rights by NIHClinicalCenter
