Thank you's - memorable ones you've received?

Nurses Relations

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Liddle Noodnik

3,789 Posts

Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
This happened a few years ago while working as a firefighter/paramedic.

I was talking to my patient when he went into cardiac arrest. We were able to resuscitate him and get him to the cath lab within an hour.

Nowadays, with the wrath of HIPAA, we have a hard time discovering the fates of patients. A couple of months later, my patient and his wife come to the station to visit me and my partner to thank us. He had lost around 50 pounds - (I didn't even recognize him). I was so touched that he came to visit, let alone thank us.

Since that time, every year at Christmas, I receive a card from him and his family thanking me for the time he has with them.

If that doesn't feel good, to know that you have truly touched someone else's life in that way, I don't know what would.

Oh my, that is really awesome - that they thank you every year for what you did!

Liddle Noodnik

3,789 Posts

Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
Ok Ok I'm crying! Then he steps back and laughs alittle and hands me a box of donuts. He's says "by the way, Clara thought you might want some donuts so I went out this morning and bought you some" " I just hoped you were still here but Clara knew you would be" I started crying again and he just patted me on my shoulder and said that me and the girls really made his wife feel special and that she was so happy that week we were there on floor.

Ok ok, I'm crying too! thanks Holly 27!

RedHeadRN2b

25 Posts

Ok, I just have to share even though my most memorable "thank you" didn't have anything to do directly with the medical field.

Who could forget the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building on April 19th, 1995? Certainly not anyone who was living in Oklahoma City. I was a young college student at Oklahoma Christian at the time, majoring in Theater, and I FELT the blast that morning. It's an experience beyond description. Anyway, my "thank you" came about because of that horrific day.

I mentioned I was a theater major, well I was in a play called "Stepping Out" (a comedy about a group of misfits that are in a tap dance class together) and our opening night was supposed to have been April 19th. Due to the circumstances it got delayed and we weren't even sure if we would be allowed to open at all since the location where we were performing had been turned into the Family Notification Headquarters and one of the lead performers was a spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations. But open we did, on April 24th, to a sold out but somewhat somber crowd. It was common after a performance for the cast to go out to the foyer to "meet and greet", which we did, and during this time was when I received one of the most treasured gifts of my life. An elderly gentleman who had a large gauze bandage on his forehead pulled away from his companion (I assumed his adult son) and came up to me. He grasped my hands in his and I noticed they were shaking. I though he might be confusing me for someone he knew, but then he softly said:

"I was in the Murrah building when that bomb went off and I walked away with only this (pointing to his bandage), but I never thought I'd laugh again. Thank you. Thank you for helping me laugh again."

It took my breath away. It still does.

Liddle Noodnik

3,789 Posts

Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
Ok, I just have to share even though my most memorable "thank you" didn't have anything to do directly with the medical field.

Who could forget the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building on April 19th, 1995? Certainly not anyone who was living in Oklahoma City. I was a young college student at Oklahoma Christian at the time, majoring in Theater, and I FELT the blast that morning. It's an experience beyond description. Anyway, my "thank you" came about because of that horrific day.

I mentioned I was a theater major, well I was in a play called "Stepping Out" (a comedy about a group of misfits that are in a tap dance class together) and our opening night was supposed to have been April 19th. Due to the circumstances it got delayed and we weren't even sure if we would be allowed to open at all since the location where we were performing had been turned into the Family Notification Headquarters and one of the lead performers was a spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations. But open we did, on April 24th, to a sold out but somewhat somber crowd. It was common after a performance for the cast to go out to the foyer to "meet and greet", which we did, and during this time was when I received one of the most treasured gifts of my life. An elderly gentleman who had a large gauze bandage on his forehead pulled away from his companion (I assumed his adult son) and came up to me. He grasped my hands in his and I noticed they were shaking. I though he might be confusing me for someone he knew, but then he softly said:

"I was in the Murrah building when that bomb went off and I walked away with only this (pointing to his bandage), but I never thought I'd laugh again. Thank you. Thank you for helping me laugh again."

It took my breath away. It still does.

Oh STOPPPPP! Wow - that was beautiful!

I had no idea there were so many great stories out there, thank YOU GUYS!

Lisky90

71 Posts

OMG!!! These posts just made my day!!! When I saw the title of the post I was thinking about a box of muffins...obviously they don't even come close to some of these stories. This is just an amazing profession and I'm so proud to be a part of it.

maledi

107 Posts

Ahh jeepers I love this thread. I have been back to read it every day. It's just so nice to hear how we are touched by these memories. And to think that some of these people who are responsible for allowing us to marinate in these moments aren't even aware of how special they were or are to us.

Liddle Noodnik

3,789 Posts

Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
OMG!!! These posts just made my day!!! When I saw the title of the post I was thinking about a box of muffins...obviously they don't even come close to some of these stories. This is just an amazing profession and I'm so proud to be a part of it.

Hey, a box of muffins - that can turn around a whole DAY! LOL!

I do enjoy it at Christmas too when patients give out candy and stuff ;0 It feels like ... well, CHRISTMAS!

:biggringi

Thanks Lisky!

Liddle Noodnik

3,789 Posts

Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
Ahh jeepers I love this thread. I have been back to read it every day. It's just so nice to hear how we are touched by these memories. And to think that some of these people who are responsible for allowing us to marinate in these moments aren't even aware of how special they were or are to us.

AMEN!

This is kind of a weird story. There was one lady just so sweet. I think her name was Dottie. I was working ICU. She ended up coding and there I am on the bed, spit out my gum behind the bed (lol) and started CPR. It was the first code I was actually IN (1982).

I'm trying to check responsiveness and I'm just kneeling on the bed staring off into space, frowning. The doc goes, "Are you all right??" "Yeah!" I said, "I'm just trying to remember her NAME!"

She did end up making it, she died a few days later, but she did get to see family before she went. I was just so glad to be able to do that for her (she wasn't suffering in between times other than a few sore ribs).

She had been such a peach, grateful for just ANY little thing!

Specializes in Neuro, Acute, Geriatrics, Rehab, Oncology.

It seems that a Thank You appears whenever sorely needed.There are a few that stick in my memory> I received a hand written letter and 50 pounds of potatoes on the unit on week after taking care of a potato farmer.The other nurses teased me for a spell and called me "spud",but I thought of the effort it took to get those to me and had to smile. Another patient was a Iranian who was very particular,hypergermophobic and traditional in views. Noone else wanted to deal with his time consuming requests , but I was interested in his culture and volunteered.Months later who do I see but this man and family and he flags me down in a restaurant to announce to everyone that I must be the most patient soul alive. I was blushing but glowing at the same time!Our whole 2nd shift was out for an afterwork drink when a round was bought for everyone.None of us had made the gesture. Mystery was solved when minutes later a woman approached to tell us she was in an MVI and we were the first people she saw when sshe awoke from a coma. I too love the goodies and homemade treats that come my way time to time.

Liddle Noodnik

3,789 Posts

Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
It seems that a Thank You appears whenever sorely needed.

Amen! The examples you spoke of reminded me of how very much people appreciate when I thank THEM! Like, a harried waitress who say she is new - at the end of the meal telling her she did a good job. A mother's day card to the pastor's wife telling her I know her contribution to the congregation, though unseen for the most part, is recognized, and thanking her (pastor usually gets all the glory!) Stuff like that.

I once initiated a program at work called "Kudos", in which I wrote thank you's and recognition to employees who did a special thing, or were particularly good at something, or endured something tough.

Nothing makes life better than thankfulness - and this applies too to my life - when I am complaining, remembering how rich my life REALLY is - and how I would not REALLY want to exchange it with someone else's.

Specializes in Emergency/Trauma/Education.

Many years ago I wore a pewter angel on my scrub jacket. It had been a Nurses' Week gift from my mom at some point.

Mr. X had just gotten the call that a donor heart had become available. He had been with on our unit for months. We CCU nurses were sooooo excited for him! We were getting him all packaged because the transplants were actually done at the university hospital across the street.

I hugged him, said 'see ya soon' and pinned my angel on his hospital gown.

Turns out the surgery went perfectly, he was discharged and lived happily ever after. Our unit received a thank-you bouquet and card from him & his wife.

Attached to the card was my angel pin. He wrote that he felt like we were all there with him through the surgery & recovery because of the guardian angel we sent with him.

:balloons:

Liddle Noodnik

3,789 Posts

Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..

Attached to the card was my angel pin. He wrote that he felt like we were all there with him through the surgery & recovery because of the guardian angel we sent with him.

:balloons:

Just goes to show you, what they say in nursing school is TRUE - that is a real live PERSON in the bed, not "the heart patient..." etc.

That was a small thing you did with the pin, but it meant much. And seeing it, he could see all your faces celebrating!

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