Dear British "Hoaxed" Nurse:

Nurses Relations

Published

Dearest British "Hoaxed" Nurse (Nurse Saldanha):

As an American Nurse I know our scope may be different, but we are both "nurses" none-the-less. There is more that is in-common, than is different. We both have strengths and weaknesses. We both aim to serve societies ills to the best of our ability, and ease pain and suffering from the lowest of the low, to the top of the elite.

We give nonjudgmental holistic care, and even though we may fuss and whine about our job in private amongst our peers, we love our profession! And, our patients would never be able to guess our bad days because we are also professionals at masking pain, worry, anxiety, and depression as we go through our day.

You know as well as I, there's never enough hours in that day! I'm so sorry your no longer here with us, but you will never be forgotten. Your death was not in-vain. I pledge to pay closer attention to my staff colleagues, and their issues-whether new or current, or something they've been struggling with- and still serve at the bedside, clinic, or even at the Midlevel position.

I am so sorry such a thoughtless act of treachery took you from the world for a "laugh" at the most. I share in the millions mourning your death, and I hold no judgement for you. You, as we're programmed to do, put your self at the bottom of the issue- even as "disposable," as the problem you didn't asked for- seemed bigger than yourself.

I'm so sorry you are gone(taken from your family and "us"), but as long as we arm ourselves with knowledge that our whole life can change in a split moment, and that there are those out there that obviously don't respect the intensity of our pressures: You did not die in vain.

You will ever be present in our heart as a martyr for the truth of the rigors of our profession, and the Nursing Profession feels and mourns your unfair and untimely loss!

We hear in the News you were a trustworthy, dedicated, compassionate, and knowlegable colleage to have. That's the highest praise a Nurse could hope for-You Will be Missed!

In never-ending love,

Boston, and:

Your Brothers and Sisters of the International Nursing Profession!

May You Rest in Eternal Peace!!!!!!!

Please add your Condolences or Respects if you wish.

Deep condolence and comfort to her family...

It is sad that an alleged "joke" contributed to a nurse's death. I didn't think it was funny when Nurse Saldanah was still alive, and I am sure almost nobody thinks so in the context of what happened. Such a touching tribute, BostonTerrierLoverRN, I'm sure my Beasty Terror, Holly gives you two paws up.

Specializes in kids.

Any. Given. Day.

Any one of us could have been in that position....my heart breaks for her and especially her family, her children in particular.

Let none of us judge where she was when she chose to end her life.

We were not there. We do not know of her history. We do not know how she felt about her support system. We. Do. NOT. Know.

I agree. As a survivor of a serious attempt, you can't tell anyone if it was worth it. Also the news SAYS the hospital was supportive of the nurse, but you don't know. Once a long time ago, a patient became seriously ill under my care(turns out she was admistering insulin without the staff knowing PLUS had an insulin pump). She had Muchousin's(sp) syndrome. When it cam down to it, I got blamed. Other nurses told me it wasn't my fault But my manager keep throwing it in my face(the patient recovered BTW). I felt so bad that I almost gave up nursing, and my life. My prayers and support goes out to her family.

Specializes in geriatrics.

I've only read bits and pieces of this story, but I can't grasp why she felt the need to end her life. Very tragic for this nurse and her family. However, she must have already been mentally unstable with long standing issues that we know nothing about. Suicide is an abnormal drastic response to problem solving.

Exactly. There has to be something else in this that we will likely never know, and probably do not really need to know. Unfortunately, all we have to go on is what the media has fed us.

Specializes in LTC, Acute care.

When the story first broke about the hoax and I saw how gleefully the media reported it, I felt sad for the nurse. Then when the news came that the nurse had committed suicide, I felt even sadder. I still feel sad knowing that she will no longer be here to guide her children and witness milestones in their lives. Something may have happened that pushed her to this, who knows if there were threats and whatnots (The last time on my unit that some nurses refused to pass info over the phone, that family raised a stink and the nurses involved ultimately lost their jobs; screwed if you do and screwed if you don't). I can't imagine what she must have felt that made her think she had no hope...may God be with her loved ones.

We are all very quick to blame the two radio announcers for making the hoax call which led to the death of the British nurse, but step back and look at where did the prompting come from in the first place, maybe we should be asking or expecting the producers of their segment to explain why they suggested it in the first place or put those announcers under pressure to achieve that sort of thing. So have some compassion for those announcers, it may not have been the thing to do, but they have to keep their job and some media companies really dont care as long as they get the ratings and the dollars in. My condolences to the family of the British nurse, and I expect their isnt a nurse on this earth that hasnt made a mistake or spoke incorrectly to either family or otherwise.

Specializes in Adult/Ped Emergency and Trauma.

Thanks again for your writing. I know it's straight from the heart. It was so funny when I got out of Detox/Rehabilitation- 90 days later- No one told me how "raw" emotions would feel. I would tear up at the drop of a hat, my wife got tickled at my uncontrollable waves of emotion to just watching "Undercover Boss," where I would have to go blow my nose in the bathroom I had gotten so "stuffed-up," at the ends. That's when the real healing started for me. Your more than right, even though sometimes I think mom is nutcase, she is tough as nails.

I will grab that book- I'm a bookworm for sure. The only thing that stops me from working Recovery/PsychMH/Addictionology is being in the Mission Field, but one day I will get to focus more on fighting the horrible disease.

I wouldn't undo what I went through in recovery. It removed most of the crust from my heart of stone, and I got a "flesh" one. Now after Joey, my wife's infidelity, the divorce, and my 5 precious years of recovery- I am in love with life. I am desperate to help those discouraged and "starting over" to reach for their dreams. I know what a broken heart feels like, but until they put me in the ground I will be fighting to make this place just a little better- One Day at a Time.

There IS still sooooooooooo much beauty, light, and good in this world. In the bad- I now just see the "potential."

*again these are MY feelings and beliefs and I aim to offend no one- I don't press them on anyone, and I value anyone's beliefs or non-belief. I myself just can't discuss the subject of loss and death without that faith that keeps me "sane."

My heart goes out to everyone who has lost loved ones this Holiday Season. I know the longing for "just one more day."

Obviously, this nurse had a mental or emotional underlying disorder. She had done nothing wrong on the telephone. Any nurse would provide information to what appeared to be family that had a reason to expect to be informed. Suicide is in this case is clearly an indicator of something else. It does not add up.

Specializes in geriatrics.

I've read many of the replies. We can all agree that this is a tragedy for many people involved. However, as many of us mentioned, there are other issues with this nurse. Had it been me, I would definitely feel remorse. But so be it, you learn and move on. I wouldn't end my life over such incident. She either panicked, or has a history of mental illness. Still very sad, and we won't know.

Beautiful tribute. I don't know how tough the privacy laws are over there, but I'm pretty sure if the Queen was on the phone (especially when there's legitimate reason for her to be calling the hospital and not just some random day), you don't question Her Majesty. I hate that this happened and pray for strength and comfort for her family, friends, coworkers, the royal couple, and even the DJs and the radio station. Maybe people will stop and think before they speak or act.

I doubt that the queen would ever need to make such a call. They have cell phones in UK, don't they?

Why would she not simply have called her grandson directly re: Kate?

And I think the deceased nurse, sad though her death is, was ill long before this incident. Maybe this was the last straw, but I think she was planning this for a long time. Mothers of young children don't just up and leave them.

+ Add a Comment