The Impact of Christmas

LanaWRN, BSN, MSN, RN

15 years ago, I was working every weekend in a large hospital as a Certified Nurse Aide while going to nursing school through the week. In December, my first year working there I met Mr. C. Mr. C was young, energetic, and seemingly healthy when he was admitted to the hospital. He was quite sure he would only be in the hospital a day or 2 to determine the cause of his cardiac and respiratory symptoms. Mr. C was a very active man, used to being in control of situations and always on the go. Those first few days it wasn’t uncommon to find him pacing or walking circles around his room. He was often checking his work schedule, preparing to get back to the job he loved.

Unfortunately, Mr. C. was quickly diagnosed with an aggressive lung cancer that required immediately starting chemotherapy and the beginning of a long hospital stay. He kept a positive attitude and always had the spirit of a fighter, but the sudden transition from being in control of everything to needing to ask for help with even the simple things was hard. I worked every Friday, Saturday and Sunday so when I would return each Friday the physical changes in him from the effects of the aggressive chemotherapy were pretty drastic. He was thinner and weaker. His thick, black hair fell out and at some point, he shaved his head. And then, to add insult to injury, he developed a debilitating gastrointestinal infection which caused him to be even weaker. Mr. C didn’t like to ask for help but now he had to.

It was Christmas and, despite his best efforts, Mr. C wouldn’t be going home. His wife and kids were coming to visit for the day and he asked for help making it special. I think we all realized this would likely be his last Christmas with his kids and we didn’t want their memories of that to be in his hospital room, so the nursing staff of 8 West did what we did best – we took care of our patient! Sometimes taking care of a patient involves pills, wound care or surgery. Sometimes it’s holding a hand, singing a song or saying a prayer. This time, taking care of our patient meant making sure Mr. C and his family got to spend some fun time together, away from his hospital bed, IV pole and bedside commode and away from the harsh reality of his illness.

The elves of 8 West got to work! We had an empty room at the end of the hall, not currently used as a patient room. It was being used for storage and full of extra furniture and equipment that needed to be relocated. We moved our Christmas tree from the nurse’s station into the room, borrowed furniture from other areas of the unit, hung sparkly garland and miscellaneous decorations from around the unit, found a radio to tune to some quiet Christmas music, and ordered a tray of cookies and drinks from the cafeteria. That day our nursing staff on 8 West managed to change a crowded storage room into a private Christmas visitation room – a fun, happier place fit to make lasting family memories! Mr. C and his family were so appreciative of this gesture. He couldn’t believe we would do so much. But like I said, taking care of our patients was the specialty of the nursing staff on 8 West!

That was Mr. C’s last Christmas, and he spent it in the last place anyone ever wants to spend a holiday. As a nurse, we don’t usually want to spend the holiday at the hospital. But illness doesn’t go away, and hospitals don’t close just because it’s Christmas! As a nurse, working the holidays means you are away from your own family. You are away from the memories they are creating with the hope of keeping our patients alive to make more memories with their own families. We report for duty – Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and Easter - ready to impact lives in whatever way we can. Sometimes the impact we make is physical and maybe we save a life. Sometimes the impact is emotional or spiritual and we can provide care, comfort or memories to last a lifetime.

It’s been 15 years since that memorable Christmas experience with Mr. C. I’ve worked many more holidays since then and always tried to find a way to make the day seem a little more pleasant for each patient I was caring for on those days. I’ve added a few degrees and fancy letters after my name since that Christmas, but the memory is still vivid. Although I hope we made those Christmas memories a little more pleasant for a family going through the unimaginable, I think it’s safe to say that one of the lives impacted that Christmas was my own. It’s a memory that will last ME a lifetime.

The Impact of Christmas

About LanaWRN, BSN, MSN, RN

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