High-Stakes Game - A Winning Hand
Isn’t it weird, just about when you are ready to throw in the towel, life tosses you a win.
I get it – seems if I just did things better, I’d have more wins and less losses. But then again, the cards don’t care – they are simply dealt – we have to manage the results. And try as we might, we can’t keep them all spinning.
The learning curve here is long, so be gentle with yourself. Trust me when I tell you that being dealt a winning hand, might NOT be about you – just like a losing hand isn’t about you, either. We bring our skills, talents, education, judgement, creativity and compassion – give our best – and that is all we really have the ability to do.
When you’re given a winning hand, accept it and give yourself a hug. Last blog I shared a losing hand – today I share an unusual win. A win for compassion and simply being human
A Hand Well-Played
Fast forward ten years. In addition to becoming a far more experienced nurse, I had also become a mother. Working in Home Health Care, I was assigned to work an eight-hour shift caring for a ten-year-old boy who had been diagnosed with brain cancer. I pulled up to a small house in a run-down section of town. The door was answered by a lovely Hispanic mother and two small girls. The house was neat, but their resources appeared limited.
The mother introduced me to my patient, Mejo, an affectionate name for a young boy. His head was swathed in a large white bandage, his dark eyes peeped out underneath and were alert. IV fluids dripped into his left arm. His sisters were eager to tell me all about their brother, sharing a video of Mejo’s performance in a children’s church production the previous year.
Two weeks later, I was again assigned to care for Mejo. I arrived to find the home environment very changed. Today the house was filled with people. I was introduced to several family members before I ever reached the room of my little patient. This afternoon, he was non-responsive to medication or conversation. As the evening progressed, it becomes apparent that we were on “Holy Ground.” The time was short for Mejo.
Spontaneously, the family gathered to create a long and continuous circle of hands out of Mejo’s room, down the hall around the living room, and back again. As Mejo’s breathing became more ragged, I watched his daddy crawl into his son’s bed, scoop up his frail body, bow his head in prayer and with praise and gratitude return the life of his son to God, who had lent the sweet boy to his family for a short season!
This time, I stood alongside the grieving family and let my tears fall with theirs. This night I allowed my heart to be touched by simple expressions of humanity. This night I did things right.
Understanding that rules change but the cards do not, informs us that our patients want and expect us to use our hearts as much as we use our heads and our hands. Our challenge is to remain open to the call to care, to bear witness to the human journey, and to remember that patients stay the same.
Do all the good you can
By all the means you can
In all the ways you can
To all the people you can
As long as ever you can.
Let me hear your stories, learn about your methods and share your successes. We all need each other!