Sunday 4 August 2013

Storytelling Sunday Pick your Precious ~ the clown x


DISCLAIMER: THIS POST DEALS WITH ISSUES WHICH MAY CAUSE
 SOME PEOPLE TO FEEL SAD OR DISTRESSED. 

Good morning and welcome to August's edition of Storytelling Sunday brought to you in association with Sian. If you have been following this meme for 2013, you will know that each month we are encouraged to pick something which is precious to us. This month's item is extremely precious to me and is completely irreplaceable.

Here he is.................



He is a small clown pin, one of those pins you put through your lapel on your coat or jacket. He is smaller than my thumb nail but his meaning is taller than a mountain and stronger than an earthquake. It is whom he represents that is the central tenet.

As many readers know, I was a Neonatal Intensive Care nurse for 12 years in a number of different towns and cities in the UK. Doing that job where you care for very, very sick and premature babies is extremely hard. I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with the babies and families I had the great privilege to meet, in fact one of those babies is now my goddaughter. However, I would be lying if I told you that all those babies got well and went home, because a small number of them did not.

This pin is a gift from the parents of one little girl I had the honour to nurse for a week several years ago now. She was truly a mini miracle and measured no longer than my hand. I have a photograph they gave me of my hand next to her tiny body. She has her eyes open and is looking intently at the camera. Her parents loved her so deeply and had an immense amount of strength, faith and courage when she died. As her nurses, we were kindly invited to her funeral service and after this her named nurses were given this pin to remember her by.

In all honesty, I can remember every single patient I have nursed who died, don't ask me how or why but I do, right back to 1984 when the first patient I met died one night between me leaving on a late and coming back for the early shift. It was not an easy thing to handle. Sadly I do not remember that patient's name but there are alot of individuals whose names I remember extremely well. In nursing, we are told not to get attached and never to accept gifts, but in such circumstances how do you do that without insulting the people who have thought long and hard about how best to thank those who cared for their loved one? Working on intensive care how do you separate yourself enough to not feel or empathise with the families and patients you care for? This has puzzled me ever since I became a nurse. In all honesty I think that you cannot.

I would love to be able to thank those parents for this gift which I treasure. It has a small paper banner attached which says their baby's name and a remembrance. I could never forget that name even if I tried, and I would like to tell all my readers that if you have ever had someone die then their nurse will probably still remember them and if they are like me, will often think about them and light a candle in their memory or in this case wear the clown with pride.


19 comments:

  1. Very moved to read how precious this and all your young charges are and have been to you. I agree with you - to be truly of service we have to allow ourselves to reach out with the deepest of empathy and allow ourselves to be touched right back, however painful at times. The families you have cared for will, I suspect, never forget the richness of their contact with you either :).

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  2. Oh, Alexa has so eloquently put into words what I would like to say and how I also feel. I would find nursing such an emotionally difficult profession - I think I would be crying all day!

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  3. Alexa said what I was going to say so much better. I remember my time in the NeoNatal ward with a friends tiny premies. So glad that little one was loved and remembered. Thank you for doing that for all of your patients.

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  4. Such a tender, moving post today Jo. You have a special gift to be able to help parents through times like these. Very precious indeed. When my daughter's third baby was rushed off to another hospital and she hadn't even held her, we all experienced how wonderful the medical team were and their attention to detail. Because our baby was in an incubator, they gave my daughter some small cloths to wear that could then be placed alongside her baby for her to have mummy's smell. I will never forget that. Thankfully, our baby is now well and thriving.

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  5. A very powerful post, Jo, and I strongly identify (as once an ITU and CCU nurse, and also as the mother of a 3lb baby boy - he of my 'piece of paper birthday card', now 6 foot tall) with so very many of your words. I too remember my patients, and take issue with the folk who declare that nurses 'get hardened to it after a while'. Oh no they don't, well, not you nor I! Thank you so much for your thought-provoking post today.
    x

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  6. A very moving post Jo, beautifully told.

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  7. I have been on the other side of thiS having just has a rather traumatic birth. I will never forget the names of the midwives who looked after us and explained everything so simply and clearly. They truly were angels. I have a lot of respect for you as you do a really important and difficult job.

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  8. Thank you Jo for your courage and fortitude while looking after the precious babies. From all mothers everywhere we salute you.
    Thank you for sharing

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  9. Oh, your story really got to me. Bless you for your work with the precious little ones in such need - you obviously supplied love as well as care to them.

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  10. Such an extremely moving story, so beautifully told. One of those ones which will stay in my thoughts for the rest of the day and beyond. Thank you for contributing it to the Storytelling Sunday collection..this month is all the richer for it!

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  11. This is such an emotional story Jo. I can only imagine how difficult it is to see little babies suffering, but I'm sure all the parents of the children you nursed are eternally grateful for the wonderful care they received from you and the other nurses. Thanks for sharing this moving tale xx

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  12. Such a moving story, thank you so much for sharing x

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  13. Beautiful story, I think the parents would be honored to know you still treasure that pin so much.

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  14. Jo,
    Thank you for the comfort and care you brought to all those little ones and their families. You are truly a blessing.
    Rinda

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  15. I cannot imagine being in the nursing field without having compassion for your patients and their families. Kudos to you for the wonderful and meaningful work you do!

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  16. That was a moving story. I think that all great nurses would find it impossible to separate themselves completely emotionally, it is what makes them spectacular at their job. It takes a special person to work with people in this way.

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  17. What a moving story Jo. My nephew's wife is a neo-natal ICU nurse and also the mother of a 3 lb 3 oz baby so we're very aware of all the very special care you provide and not just for the tiny patients. Now as we look forward to twin arrivals in just under 6 weeks we're keeping our fingers crossed that these little ones won't need the specialized care their big sister did.

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Hello and thank you so much for stopping by. It is always a pleasure to read the comments I receive and to meet new friends. I try and reply to comments on friend's blogs as much as possible. I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog and look forward to seeing you here again soon. Love Jo xxx