a walk in my shoes

for some reason, i was thinking about the beginning of my nursing career. it seems like some of my first words out of college were, “hi, my name is marian and i will be your child’s nurse tonight.” i was truly blessed to have a job right out of college and to have THAT job, was an honor. not too long after my first day on the job, these words often came out of my mouth, “the doctors told you that your child has cancer, what questions do you have? let me tell you about the chemotherapy, the side effects, etc…” i was just a kid, it’s hard to believe that i’ve been doing this for over six years. having that same conversation with families, that terrible day of diagnosis keeps happening over and over for too many families and i get to be there with them. i get to be there when they find out the good news that their child’s cancer is in remission. i get to be there to encourage them to lay in bed with their child as they take their last breath. i get to be there to celebrate birthdays when celebrating is the furthest priority in the world. i get to be there when they learn that their child’s cancer has come back. i get to be there to see families grow. i get to see families connect with others. sometimes i get frustrated because i don’t get to climb a professional ladder, receive bonuses or material perks. i see my peers succeed in their careers and they are rewarded materially. the phone calls i get from former parents or grandparents wishing me a merry christmas, asking how gracie is doing or seeking help in grieving the loss of their little one is enough for me. what an honor, a privilege that i get to be there, to walk LIFE with so many families, to see REAL miracles, to witness life and death. what a beautiful reward, the best bonus i could ever ask my employer for.

apparently i’m not the only one that thinks these kids are pretty awesome 🙂 *just another perk of the job i guess*