So something happened at work today, and I just want to write about it while it is still fresh in my memory and the feelings are still raw. I was caring for a patient who has a spinal chord injury - just helping him get from the toilet into his chair. I had come back from my dinner break not long before, and was trying to calm down after feeling overwhelmed and like I wanted to cry all morning (not for any reason in specific - I just get myself worked up). As I am helping this patient, we are chatting, and he mentioned that he could feel me touching his feet while I was putting on his boots. He then went on to tell me all about his injury, and how he has come such a long way and he is not even half way through the healing process. I asked him if he thought it was from all the different therapies he was receiving at the hospital. He said yes, and then he went on to tell me it wasn't just the therapists, but everyone at the hospital - that he felt like the entire staff ("people like you," he said) had helped him get to where he was. He said that he felt like he had a family at the hospital because he sees everyone there more than he sees his own family, and how if he doesn't see someone for a while, he'll ask about them. And then he told me his goal of being able to walk again.
Everything about it was just so special. I can't fully put it into words and I am also in a rush so I can't sit here and try to find them, but I just felt like I wanted to have this moment written down to look back on. And after such a stressful morning (did I mention the morning was not actually stressful? I just make things stressful) what this patient said was so amazing to hear. It really reassured me that this is exactly where I want to be. I want to be helping people recover from the hardest parts of their lives - specifically I want to help children. Children like this special patient who still have so much of their life left, and who are so driven and inspiring and thankful for our work.
Okay, off to firefllyyyyy!!!
