Easing the Pain
by Lee Abramo, MSN, R.N., Director of Education Co-Ethics and Compliance Officer
I became a nurse 31 years ago, because I had experienced very poor care in a hospital in New York City following abdominal surgery. I realized then that I wanted to provide gentle nursing care to my patients so that no one would have to experience the terrible care and unnecessary pain that I had experienced as a patient...even if I made a difference for only one person. My awareness of this difference came in 1997. I was at Border's Bookstore waiting to make a purchase when I looked up and noticed a lady on the other side of the counter looking very intently at me. I glanced away, and when I looked back, she was still looking at me. She suddenly began to walk around the counter, never taking her eyes off me. I actually was a little uncomfortable, until she came face-to-face with me, took my hand and said, "You were my nurse." I asked if I had been her nurse in the Emergency Department, where I worked for 15 1/2 years. She said that I had been her nurse "on the second floor." I suddenly realized that it had been 20 years since I had worked on the second floor, 2N, before transferring to the E.R. She said, "Remember me? I was the only patient that you had to bathe on the evening shift, because I would ask if you were working and I'd postpone my bath until you arrived. You were so gentle, and you were the only nurse who did not hurt me." It was as though I had a time machine that propelled me back 20 years! I remembered! This lady had been in a terrible car accident and fractured both femurs and her left humerus. It took a long time to complete her bath as I proceeded ever so gently in an effort not to move her broken bones. I remember feeling a sense of stress that I was falling behind in my other tasks. Still, I went slowly with her to prevent additional pain. I was stunned and humbled at the same time. How amazing to have this lady remember her nurse after 20 years! This is the power of nursing. We all have the ability and responsibility to make a difference in the lives of our patients. I will never forget her for helping me realize that I had achieved my goal of making a difference for "one person."