If anyone has read my blog you know that my husband and I, and our immediate family, are familiar with hospitals and especially the Intensive Care Unit.  I remember a very special group of nurses who tended to me during my eighteen days in ICU.  I could do absolutely nothing for myself; just sitting up was a complete chore.  After a while, one sweet nurse came in and shampooed my hair for me while I lay in bed.  Every other day they would bathe me and turn me every few hours so I wasn’t in the same position hour after hour.

The nurses who cared for me were kind and considerate and just a gentle touch of a hand on mine or an uplifting word or two was what saw me through the horrible ICU paranoia I was experiencing.  One of the nurses would stay with me up to fifteen minutes as he administered my pain medication.  I had told him earlier that I experienced great pain in the wound site when he gave me the medicine.  After that he pushed it into my IV very slowly—the pain was minimized.

I remember telling one special little nurse how the best feeling in the world was to have baby powder on your feet to help you drift off to sleep.  I didn’t sleep well the first few days.  That very day Stephanie brought in a warm tub of water and she washed my feet as I sat in a chair.  I don’t know what was in the water—if anything—but it felt so warm and soothing.  After she dried my feet she powdered them with baby powder and immediately that aroma comforted me as I wiggled my toes feeling the silkiness of the powder.

When my husband was in ICU the nurses could see the concern on our faces, not knowing if he would live or die.  Their kindness eased our fears somewhat and our family will never forget the care we received.

Because February was Cardiac Care/Intensive Care Month, we wanted to honor all the nurses who work tirelessly to care for their patients.  We know what nurses do to help their patients; the love and kindness they show to patients, their families and loved ones.  It is for this reason that The Episcopal Church of Wise County filled gift bags full of treats they love, along with crossword, Sudoku, and Word Search books, and delivered them to Wise Regional Health System in Decatur, TX.  One giant bag for the day shift and one for the night shift.

A big THANK YOU to all the nurses in the world!  You do an invaluable service.  Again, we say THANK YOU and God bless you real good!