bathing

one of the reasons i love nursing is because i get to be a part of some of the most loving and intimate moments in peoples' lives. it's truly an honor to witness and, in some sense, be invited to participate in loving rituals and devastating goodbyes.

last week, i was called in to the ICU to help a fellow nurse clean up a patient. most folks think of nursing work as "dirty work," and it can be. but really, sometimes the "dirty" stuff leads to the most beautiful moments. the 32 year old patient, whom i had cared for weeks prior when she was very ill but not yet required ventilator assistance to breathe, needed a small bath and turn. her non-english speaking mother helped us with the bathing. in all honesty, she "dictated" what be done and how without uttering a single word. she cleaned her daughter's body as if it was the most important job in the world - every nook and cranny was washed, rinsed, and lotioned. i stood there, with two other nurses, in awe of this mother's love for her "baby."

another young woman was in the room. she sat in the corner and cried. i asked her if she was a friend of the patient and she said "no, i have never met the patient or the mother. but i am from the same country and from the same church." she came simply to show her support and in turn, ended up serving as a translator. and with me, had the opportunity to witness a very special bath - one of my patient's last. i told her to tell the patient's mother something for me - "should i ever get sick, i would like for olga to care for me." it was my way of giving her a compliment, my way of saying to olga that she was doing her best, that her love was enough (not to cure her daughter, but to envelop her daughter with love and compassion as she lay dying).

the patient died yesterday morning. and although i was not there, i know the patient was embraced by her mother's love. and for having been just a tiny part of their last moments together, i am thankful.