Going the Extra Mile While at Work

It’s Less of Me Month here at NanaHood and we are sharing stories about ways people focus on the needs of others.  A dear friend of mine knows first hand what it means to receive the kindness of  strangers.  When her  husband Danny was diagnosed with cancer they were immediately submerged in the medical world. They spent months at a time in the hospital. I remembered her telling me about people she encountered along the way who went above and beyond what was required of them to help her and her husband. I asked her to share those stories with us and what follows is her reply.

Gaye’s Story

Spending over 30 days in an out of town hospital certainly has it trials but it is much easier when you have caring nurses and aides taking care of your loved one.  My husband Danny spent all of August and part of September 2008 in Norton’s hospital in Louisville in the oncology intensive care unit.  All of the nurses were absolutely wonderful but there were a few who simply went beyond the call of duty.

Following one of his surgeries, Danny was simply freezing and could not get warm.  I wrapped a blanket around his head.  It was cumbersome but it helped his bald head stay a little warmer.  The next day one of his nurses brought him a University of Indiana wool scarf to wrap around his head and shoulders.  Hey, it was the wrong team but we sure were grateful and it certainly was easier than that big old blanket.

The first night after the first  surgery while in ICC, we had a very quiet unassuming nurse who did a great job.  She appeared to be very engrossed with her work and did not talk much.  Danny was very ill, with a very low body temperature which could have made his organs shut down.  She did not seem overly concerned just doing a job.  The next night when she came on duty and got her updates from the previous shift, she came rushing into our room and said, ” I just had to see you for myself.  I cannot believe how you have improved.  She had tears trailing down her face. She could not believe the ventilator was off and that Danny was doing as well as he was.  Those tears endeared her to me.

After we had been there several weeks, another nurse brought me a home-cooked meal.  She was oriental and so was the meal. I really did not know what it was but it sure was delicious and a very welcome change from hospital food.

Danny could not have even a sip of water for over one month and his mouth and lips were continually dry.  One of the aides would go into other rooms and even onto other floors and  confiscate the much needed swabs for us.  I would have never dreamed that something as simple as a mouth swab could make such a difference.

Prior to the day of a really serious surgery, one of the Indian nurses came into our room late that night.  She had never really talked with us as much as the other nurses and always seemed a little aloof.   Unlike some of the other staff, she never mentioned God or anything about religion.  I never really thought about it but would have assumed she was probably Hindu.  That night she petted Danny on the arm and said, “ Mr. Shaw these doctors do not know everything.  Jesus can heal you and I will be praying for you. “  I cannot tell you how very much that meant to both of us.

A transporter (people who just take patients for scans, tests, x-rays, etc.) who also transported us for the swallow study, told us in conversation that she got off work at 2pm.  She could hardly wait to get home for she had had a rough day. Shortly after 2pm, here she came back to CAT scan just to check on us. Danny was very sick following the test for he had to lay flat.  He has not been able to lay flat in bed since the first surgery in May.  He has great difficulty breathing.  Anyway, she insisted upon bringing us back to our room.  I told her that I knew she was “off the clock” and she said it did not matter.  She said someday it could be her, down here sick and she would hope that someone would take her back to her room. That mean so very much to us.

One of our favorite nurses was Larry.  When Larry was on duty, I knew we would be well taken care of and I could ask him any question and get an understandable answer.  He always made it a point to go with us when we had to go to another floor for any test or procedure.  Most of these things were very painful and it made it easier for both of us if Larry was there. When we were leaving, Larry told me that he had never had a patient that had been through as much as Danny and survived to go home.  We went back to see Larry last summer.  He did not recognize Danny at first for when he was at Norton’s he weighed about 145 pounds, was bald and looked like a frail eighty year old man.   When we went back, Danny’s hair had grown back . He was at his normal weight of 230 pounds, and he looked just like your average healthy middle age man.

Elaine was another of our favorites.  She loved Elvis Presley and she and Danny would talk about “ Elvis” stuff while she was taking blood or something uncomfortable. She had the most wonderful laugh and smile that just lit up the room when she entered.

These folks probably never knew the difference they made to Gaye and Danny.  The things they did were what we might consider small things, but again, we should never under estimate the power of a cup of cold water given in His name.

What is the last small thing someone did for you? Share it with us. We really want to know.