With Deep Appreciation for Nurses #FeelingFriday

As I reflect on current happenings …

Source: Photo by Patty Brito on Unsplash

Sigh.

My appreciation for nurses started my junior year in college when my mom was suddenly diagnosed with near-terminal cancer. We spent my Christmas break in the hospital alongside nurses who showed me what care really looks like. It was my first exposure to their patience for suffering patients, and their perseverance for the families. Wow, the way they showed up, day after day, for people they'd never met before was astonishing.

My mom lived decades longer than anyone expected but with more cancer a few times. More nurses, more holidays in hospital rooms. Each event reinforced the same lesson that nurses are the glue that holds the healthcare system together.

My appreciation for nurses grew professionally during my first job out of grad school at Johnson & Johnson, where I learned even more about the nursing community and their contributions to healthcare and to humanity. J&J has been a continual supporter of nurses since before our grandparents were born (probably even before our great grandparents), helping to nurture and grow the profession through funding, education, resources, and jobs. At J&J, I learned about the power of nursing from a different perspective.

Then, this past Fall after a fall, my father found himself suddenly in the ICU fighting for his life. The ICU nurses there didn't just care for him, they cared for all of us with such urgency and such priority. I've never felt in such capable, compassionate hands in a time of extreme need.

That's what nurses do. They show up, no matter what, in the most horrible of conditions. They care and protect.

Which is exactly what Alex Pretti was doing in the last moments of his life in Minneapolis. Alex was an ICU nurse. He was out observing and protesting the ICE activities there. And on the last day of his life, he was doing what nurses do: protecting people. Even as violence was happening around him, he was in the moment trying to shield others from harm.

That's the default behavior of a nurse. An ICU nurse in the middle of trauma. That's the measure of a human being.

Then there’s also Renee Good in Minneapolis. She wasn't a nurse, but she was standing for something she believed in. She showed up for her community as well.

While I don’t know either one personally, I can feel in my heart what Alex represented because I've spent a lifetime watching nurses like him. I know their capacity for care. I know their willingness to deliver in the hardest moments, for people and people’s parents just like me. I know what they are built for, and it’s inspiring. An ICU nurse delivers at an even more critical level, and Alex showed us that.

There’s so much to take away from all that has happened, but one thing is for sure: let’s learn from the traits of nurses and care and protect each other, no matter what.

No matter who, no matter what.

What’s your experience? JIM

P.S. - This video from J&J just about sums it up about nurses, through the course of time. Makes me proud to be a J&J alum for the work they do for nursing.

“Nurses Change Lives”