I feel honored that I get to write a post about nursing on National Nurse Awareness Day. I’m not going to lie, I even traded post dates with another blogger so that I could write about some of my favorite real life super heroes!!
My son Nathan, who has CHARGE syndrome, a rare genetic syndrome, spent the majority of his first year of life at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. In the past 4 years, my husband and I jokingly refer to the hospital as our second home because we have spent so much time there.
Because of his complex medical issues, he only spends time in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. I have sat watching the nurses in that unit go on their daily shifts while dealing with so much, and I want the nurses to know that we recognize all they do!
While your child is in the hospital and as a parent you’re watching your child struggle, the last thing you remember to do is say thank you, so here it is:
To the nurse who just came back from maternity leave: Thank you for taking care of my baby while you are not with your own. I watch you struggle trying to balance your responsibility to your patients while you try to fit in pumping sessions for your own child.
To the nurse that my child just hit: Please please know that my child is not being themselves right now. I promise we don’t promote hitting and tantrums at home.
To the nurse who played farm animals with my child instead of enjoying your break time: Thank you for remembering that my little boy is still just a little boy who likes to play! He doesn’t understand that he is so sick so thank you for treating him like a regular kid.
To the nurse who chatted with me about a recent TV show: Thank you for trying to distract me and keep me focused on something besides watching my child hooked up to machines. When your child is in the hospital, you lose all sense of normalcy so thanks for treating me nicely and for listing to me rant about the days event. I’m sure you have more important things to do then be Momma’s therapist. 🙂
To the night nurse: Thank you for taking care of my child so that I can go home and see my husband and other children. Leaving your child alone at the hospital is so hard to do, but life gets in the way sometimes.
To our home nurse: Thank you for becoming part of our family and caring for my child at home. Without you, my child would not be able to be home and thriving.
To the nurse who lost a patient today: Thank you for staying strong for the parents as they face the worst day of their life. I have sat in the room next door and cried knowing what had happened, yet you have to finish your shift and focus on your other patients.
These are just a few examples of why I wanted to say thank you not only form the bottom of my heart but from moms of patients everywhere. We are more thankful then we can ever express!
