Nurse asks, 'Did you know I was there?' in touching viral post

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Found at ABC News/GMA:

Nurse asks, 'Did you know I was there?' in touching viral post

https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/family/story/nurse-asks-touching-viral-post-67932491

Quote

In a Facebook post that's been shared 10,000 times, nurse Sandra Maria Kluskowski wrote in part: "Did you see how I kept looking up at the ceiling to hold back tears? The lump in my throat was the worst part. It felt like I couldn't breathe."

[amoLucia]

Very moving.

I always felt an odd and different of sense of respect when I provided any post-mortem care. Kind of like this questioning - hoping I made some lasting & positive impact on the pt.

[Wuzzie]

Thank you for posting this. What I love about it is, unlike the usual overly emotional, saccharine and self-sacrificial (barf) descriptions of what it’s like to be a nurse this one hits home on what it feels like to be a nurse. This could be any one of us on any ordinary day. It has been a privilege and an honor to be present at more births than I can count but there is something sacred about being part of the end of another human being’s life that makes it...extraordinary.

[ComeTogether, LPN]

nothing more humbling or rewarding than caring for someone at the end of their life.

[Daisy4RN]

Taking care of a person who is dying and/or post mortem is both difficult and beautiful at the same time.

Ty for posting, very moving indeed.

[DextersDisciple, BSN, RN]

Very visceral. I always had to cover the patients face with a towel during post mortem care so I could get through it without crying. Seeing their face reminded me how that could have been my family member and made it that much more difficult.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Working with the elderly for most of my career, I saw a lot of death, but I always found it to be a sacred privilege to be there at the moment when the patient took his or her last breath. The last person I saw pass away was my husband, and the nurse in me called the time of death and reported it to his nurse. But then the wife in me took over and I marveled at the way he had reached for my hand as his soul left this earth, winging its way toward Heaven.

This is really well-written. I thank the OP for sharing it.

[ComeTogether, LPN]

I feel like this could have been written by a CNA just as easily as a Nurse. They often don't get the credit they deserve and this is a huge part of their job as well.