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Nurse Stories, Part Twenty Two: The Kids (By Remie Shae Elwicher, R.N.) by Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado
Monday, August 2, 2004
Rated "PG" by the Author.
A nurse talks about some of her more memorable young patients she has taken care of over the years.
No matter how many times I see them or deal with them, I always have the most trouble with kids, especially when they are sick or dying, and there is nothing that can be done to stop or alleviate their sufferings.
My name is Remie, Remie Shae Elwicher, and I am a pediatric nurse. My specialty is taking care of children and dealing with all the issues that go along with childhood: nutrition, vaccination records (that is, if they have had their needed shots or if they are up to date), development of mind, body, spirit, and whatnot, and of course, the diseases that so often plague children, or even the unexpected events happening, like emergencies or dealing with kids with adult-sized problems or diseases. I have enjoyed my job very much, but seeing children at their most vulnerable or sickest does get to you after a while, and it is then when I wonder if I am doing the right thing by staying in this job.
Some of the hardest cases I have had to deal with are those kids with life-threatening illnesses that threaten to snuff out their young lives, or those kids with serious disabilities that affect just about every aspect of their young lives. Two examples are a brother and sister who were adopted as babies, and some of the stuff they have had to deal with during their young lives would curl your hair. They have survived cardiac and respiratory arrests, strokes, brain damage, prematurity, seizures, and they have died more times than I can possibly count the fingers on both my hands; yet, by some odd chance or Miracle, they manage to defeat death, over and over, and they still are thriving today. (They are now 11 1/2 years old, going on the ripe old age of twelve, and from seeing them, you wouldn't believe just how sick they have been at times because they look--well, healthy. Of course, the boy is in a wheelchair and wears braces on his legs--he has muscular dystrophy, and he wasn't expected to live beyond the age of five--, and the girl, his sister, walks with Lofstrand crutches and like her brother, also wears braces on her legs--she has arthritis--, but that is beside the point. They are still living and defeating the odds each and every day, and if there is any doubt that Miracles don't exist, then all people have to do is look at the young, happy faces of this brother and sister because they ARE living Miracles, and they HAVE thrived beautifully!
It is amazing how some kids who have cheated death again and again continue to do so and do well in life (as in the cases of Johnny Sandusky and Ronee' Reaux, the two kids mentioned above), yet, there are others who don't fare as well. We have a young boy now in our hospital who is fighting just to stay alive because somehow he developed NecFac (necrotizing fasciitis, or "flesh-eating disease"--, a very rare and deadly bacterial infection that can kill in only hours if quick medical intervention isn't implimented as soon as possible, and now he is in the PICU, fighting for every ounce of his little life, and right now, things don't look good for the child. He is in a very critical state, and right now they have him in a drug-induced coma so he can rest and recover from the affects of the infection. He is still in danger of losing his leg, and doctors and nurses are doing everything humanly possible to make sure that the little boy DOES survive SOMEHOW.
We have had kids who have been the innocent victims of some unbelievably horrible events or situations, such as those kids who have been abused by their parents (or even relatives or other family members, or even strangers or people they thought they trusted), or those kids who were mangled in car crashes or some other accident, and they end up dying. No matter what we tried to do in order to save them, they were too sick or too badly injured to be able to survive on their own, and their little bodies shut down and they code in front of us, and it takes all of our wits, all of our knowledge, all of our skills, to try to battle for this young life, but sometimes, God has a Reason, and these kids end up dying anyway. This is always the worst aspect of my job, and unfortunately, it is something that we have to deal with every day on a daily basis. Death is as part of life as is life itself, it has been told, but it is never easy, especially when we have the grim task of telling the kids' parents that their child died, even despite our best efforts.
But on the other side of the coin, you have the happier stories, such as in the cases of Johnny Sandusky and Ronee' Reaux, kids who were somehow destined to die, but somehow, through an unexplained Miracle, their lives were saved (AGAIN!), and they continue TO do well to this day. They are amazing children, and every time I see them, I can't help but be moved to tears because I have seen both kids at the brink of death, many a time, and there they are, standing in front of me, smiling and enjoying all that life has to offer.
This is what makes my job worthwhile because it is our skills that allowed these two kids to live another day, and it gives me a sense of hope and accomplishment; and then I am glad to be doing all of this for a living.
Spoken Word
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Suspenseful and close to home, Rain of Deception 2 will leave you in Tears. Much like Part 1, this will shocking sequel will keep you on the edge of your fingertips.
No matter how many times I see them or deal with them, I always have the most trouble with kids, especially when they are sick or dying, and there is nothing that can be done to stop or alleviate their sufferings.
