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The Elephant in the Room is Cancer. Tea is the Relief Conversation Provides.
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The Elephant in the Room is Cancer. Tea is the Relief Conversation Provides.
Content contributed and originally ran on Mette de Fine Licht’s blog at: https://willpowergirl.com/blog/the-difference-a-nurse-can-make/
May 6th – May 12th is National Nurse Appreciation Week in the United States. Thank you to all of the amazing nurses and your dedication!
Okay, maybe it’s a little on the edge to put it like that. But seriously, a good nurse does so much more than changing your chemo bag on the IV pole.
She fills you with energy.
And when you’re trekking through cancer you hunger for energy.
Today, I had a flashback to one of my nurses, who took care of me when I lay in the bed, bald from chemo and about to loose half of my leg. She is one of the main characters in my book “Willpower Girl – A Teenager’s Trek Through Cancer”.
If you read it you will meet her and experience first hand what kind of role she played for me and the other teenagers who were hospitalized. I often think of her. Today, she was the one thinking of me: She sent me a letter and I was so touched I went outside for a while even though it was raining.
There on the balcony I started to think of the difference a nurse can make.
This nurse made me smile every day. She made my family smile as well and I promise you, at the time their wasn’t that much to smile about. It wasn’t like she was telling jokes but rather she just treated me like me – not like a patient.
My nurse explained my situation to my friends so I didn’t have to. She told them how they should hold my hand and how they shouldn’t. Which resulted in a lot of great support from my friends.
In addition she talked to my high school teachers so they knew how and why my energy and focus were somewhere else rather than in their class room. It didn’t prevent me from bad grades, but I got to stay in class.
She let my parent’s friends know how they could help by filling our fridge, driving my friends to the hospital, looking after my brother, etc…
On the days she was on duty, even the darkest and most rainy days, she brought light and happiness to the hospital. This was an important “vitamins” for all of us trying to climb the chemo mountain.
Thank you for being you and bringing so much joy into lives with so much to worry about. I’m sure you are a big inspiration for others in your position. All of your patients and their families are lucky to have you in a situation where they are unfortunate enough to need someone like you.
Elephants and Tea is a trademark of the Steven G. Cancer Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit under federal tax guidelines.
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