Category: Palliative care
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The Summer of Gnome
Gnomes “Do you see him up there?” She smiles and points up above the window. There sat a cute little gnome. She grabbed my hand and toured me around the house showing me the three others. “Aren’t they cute? They are my gnomes. They are so fun!” I asked, “Why are they so high up… Read more
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Miracles at the intersection of faith and science
Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord? Psalm 106: 2 I am a Christian. And as a Christian who stands on the word, I believe in miracles. I am a nurse practitioner, a scientist who understands the pathophysiology of the life cycle. In my daily work I refer to protocols, data and statistics,… Read more
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The Gift of Life
The Very First Time Though it was decades ago, I can still recall like it was yesterday. The first time I cared for an organ donor. A brand-new ICU nurse, I was just a few years older than my patient. They lay in the bed, body perfectly intact and healthy, brain obliterated by a high… Read more
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The Long Goodbye…
Alice My first encounter with dementia occurred when I was just a girl. I remember going to visit my grandmother when I was about 13 years old. Laying in a bed in the fetal position, she was nothing more than skin and bones. Unable to speak or sit up. She lived in this state for… Read more
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Someone needs you…
A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:23-24 Someone needs you. Someone needs you. Someone needs you. Over and over these words flooded my mind from the moment I opened my eyes that morning. I… Read more
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Never Underestimate the Power of a Cat
She was in the intensive care unit, overwhelmed by infection from wounds she acquired from immobility and poor nutrition. Suffering from a progressive neurological condition at a young age, she was bed bound and relied on her partner as her primary caretaker. Her neurological condition left her unable to speak or swallow. She received all… Read more
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A Man of God
People will exclaim, “I just love nurse practitioners! What do you do?” Me (generally stated with a smile on my face), “I work in palliative care.” Response (generally stated with a sorrowful look), “Oh, that is so sad. That must be so hard.” There are certainly days when the work is hard, and sad. But… Read more
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Food is Life, Food is Love
Food, glorious food Mirepoix. The smell that makes me think of my mother. Mirepoix…celery, onions and garlic sauteing in butter. Thanksgiving…stuffing, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, turkey roasting in the oven, family. Food is central to our lives. Our social and family gatherings center around food, the meal. Recipes are handed down through generations. Food… Read more
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The Formidable Woman
Her oncologist had warned me about her. She was formidable. Difficult. Suffering from a chronic blood disease for which she required bi-weekly blood transfusions, she had just been diagnosed with advanced cancer. While she declined any work-up or treatment for her cancer she insisted on continuing with life-sustaining blood transfusions. This left her oncologist befuddled… Read more
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The lady on the plane
On Sept 17, 2023, I boarded a flight to Washington D.C. I prayed that during the flight God would use me to be a blessing to someone or that I may be blessed by another. I was in the last group to board the Southwest flight and as is my policy, I chose the first… Read more