has someone restored your faith in humanity? tell us about it.

[rach_nc_03]

I got the idea to start this thread when I told a story in the bullying thread about a great woman who came to my defense. She also did something amazing for me, and it really, truly got me through a very tough time. I was at a point where I considered quitting school and giving up, but these small acts made me feel like it was worth going on.

She wasn't the smartest student- she struggled academically the whole time we were in school, but she worked hard, and she made it. She was raising three kids while in school, and she wanted to work in geriatrics- just because she loved old people so much, she said.

We were at clinical the night before I was scheduled to have surgery for endometriosis that had invaded my upper abdomen. I had recently left my husband and moved out on my own- our marriage had been over for a while, but i'd stayed so i could finish school, and finally decided it was time to go, and I'd find a way to make it financially. I was in constant, severe pain. I was also suffering from almost daily migraines that sometimes made me pass out from the intensity. not only that, but i was absolutely terrified of being extubated, because I'd recently had surgery where I was fully awake during extubation, people were screaming at me, and the incident gave me nightmares for months. so, in a stunning example of bad timing, the program director showed up, took me to an empty room, and asked why I'd failed a test that week. he wasn't angry, he was concerned, because my grades were normally very high. I tried very hard not to break down in front of him, but a few tears slipped out, and I told him everything that was happening. He tried to reassure me that he'd help in any way he could, but I really wanted to get out of that room.

I tried to continue on with my evening, but this woman, L., asked if I was okay, as i certainly did *not* look okay. She was genuinely concerned, and that concern just broke the dam. We went into the locker room, and I told her everything, including how scared I was of staying alone in my apartment for the week after my surgery, how scared I was about the extubation, about money, and about continuing my schedule of full-time school and full-time work. She listened, and she hugged me, and she continued to listen. She found our instructor so she could come in and allow me to leave early. L. offered to walk me out to my car, and I said I'd be fine, but she asked me to call her when I got home.

I came home and cried some more, but the phone rang at 11:30- it was L., checking to make sure I was okay. She said she was happy to talk to me anytime, day or night, about anything at all, if I felt like I needed someone to listen. so we talked some more, and she made me feel better...not by giving me some magic solution, but by reminding me that she cared, and she would be there for me.

the next morning, she called and offered to come down to stay with me after my surgery, bring me food, whatever I needed- and this woman lived well over an hour away, and was raising three kids! but she said if I needed her, she'd be there, and for me not to be shy about asking.

My mother ended up staying overnight to take care of me, but L. still called throughout the week to make sure I was okay, and to remind me that she was there to listen if I needed to talk. Which I did, and it helped immensely every time i did it.

What makes this woman so special is that we weren't close friends at all- we were on good terms, and liked each other, but nursing school was pretty much the only thing we had in common- she is black, lives in a rural community with traditional values, has a large, close-knit extended family, and is etremely involved in her church and her faith. I'm white, I live in a more urban area, and I live away from my family...i'm not a christian, nor do I belong to any organized religion, and I have very unconventional ideas and opinions on most subjects. on the political contiuum, I'm almost all the way on the left end. i'm certain that our paths wouldn't have crossed, had it not been for nursing school.

in spite of all of these things, she saw me in pain, and she reached out to me. she went out of her way to try to help make a really difficult time better for me, not to get something in return, or because she thought it was expected of her. she cared about me because I needed someone to care about me. I was so touched by this unexpected kindness....i'm crying as I sit here and remember it. her actions, and her character, made a tremendous impression on me, and truly made me believe in the good of others again.

I hope those of you who have been touched by someone in this way will share those experiences with the rest of us.

[judy ann]

What a lovely story. Are you aware that you have been touched by an angel?

[SmilingBluEyes]

BEAUTIFUL. it's only 7:30 here and I am on my first cuppa, so no story right now----but I have several. The ones who restore my faith in humanity are my kids. Simply they are wonderful human beings, so caring and empathetic, they do restore my faith that the future generation has a lot to contribute. Angels? heck no, but they are good people. I will be back with a great story later on...when I am fully awake. Thanks for yours, Rachel!