While You Were Sleeping

Night shifts are such a drag. I don't mind them while I am at the hospital, but coming up to them is awful and coming home is awful. I cannot sleep during the day and then when I am "re-adjusting" I just get overtired and don't sleep anyway. What a drag.
I was talking with my sister's friend, a nurse, who was telling me that she enjoys night shifts because she "gets to be awake when everyone else is sleeping". She thinks it's a fun little game she plays with everyone else. I tried to play this game. It lasted for all of 10 minutes.

I had a patient this week who made me tear up on multiple occasions. She was in her late 30's and had just been diagnosed with cancer two weeks prior. She had surgery to remove her uterus, ovaries, part of her colon, and half of her stomach to remove 95% of her cancer. The doctors aren't sure if chemo and radiation will be effective to remove the remaining cancer. On top of that, she had a spinal leak from her epidural and had to remain flat on her back for three days.
This woman was incredible! She was such a blessing to me in the days I cared for her. I don't even know how to describe it. She cared about me and invested in me and she was the one whose life had just been flipped upside down. She asked many questions about me and my family and remembered everything I told her even days later. She made a point of thanking me every time I came in to help her with something. Her face would light up when I came in the room and she would be so excited to show me the balloons, cards, letters, dvds, books or trinkets she received from people.
Watching her family dynamic was beautiful as well. Her sons would read her book to her because she couldn't focus on the words when she was reading. They would rub her feet with lotion, fan her face, wash and brush her hair, read her the cards people sent her, and help out as much as they could. The oldest told me how hard it was to see his usually active mom (a marathon runner) confined to her back in bed but that he would do whatever she wanted to show her he loved her.
The husband was a real gem too. He was creative in how he cared for her and met her needs. He made her wiggle up the bed so she could hang her head off the top. I held her head while he got a basin of water and we washed her hair over the side of the bed. On my second day I came into the room to check on her to find that he had crawled in bed beside her and was singing to her and rubbing her hair.
I don't think I will every forget this little family. They were truly amazing.