The Little Things...

As I was digging through boxes of old paperwork from my past job, hunting for my BLS Certification Card, I came across this little gem. I had looked for it before, and thought it had been lost in the move.

(The name is pixelated to protect identity)

When I saw it, I instantly knew what is was and who it was from, and it brought tears to my eyes. This picture was hanging in my locker at work (See the bandage tape at the top?) from the time I received it, until the time I quit working there. This picture was from a patient I took care of on the Med Surg side of the floor I worked on. And no, I didn't work in pediatrics. This lady was a frequent flyer, always in for wound care to both lower extremities, and she had a slight mental impairment. I was always really careful during her dressing changes even telling her stories to distract her from the pain, held her hand when the wound care specialist visited, and I always made sure to get her a chocolate milk before they were all taken. One day, when I went to check on her, she said that she forgot her crayons from home and asked if we had any. I told her that unfortunately, we didn't. After checking on the rest of my team, I made a trip up to the pediatric floor and asked around for some crayons, and luckily, I was able to snag the next to last package. I sprinted back up to the floor to give them to her. When she saw them, she began to cry, and gave me a hug. She was so overjoyed that I went out of my way for her. When I went to tell her goodbye at the end of my shift, she gave the drawing to me. I've cherished it ever since. 

This is the reason I wanted to be a nurse. Not only to take care of people, but to show them love and compassion when they need it most; To make their day a little brighter.