This may be a bit MORBID.. But this little guy is the reason I want to be a Nurse.

Published

http://mpolitzer.googlepages.com/

i have two children, a daughter of 6, and a son who looks just like me who's 3.

both are healthy (far as we can tell), intelligent, beautiful looking kids.

my son's got a cough i need to get checked out, but aside from the little things like that, they can expect a normal life. not too much unlike my own. the issues they'll likely face will be like mine. seemingly important, but largely insignificant in the long run.

then i see a guy like this.. michael politzer.

imagine that you're the mother of a son who's terribly deformed. do you secretly wish he'll avoid the pain of a terrible life of being different, being under the knife for life saving surgeries?

do you tell yourself that it just wasn't meant to be and that god will take him soon?

or do you dam those types of thoughts deep inside and focus on the life that _is_ there and just pray that you'll get to see his smile and that tender boyhood enthusiasm?

i look at this kid and think.. he's probably lived his whole life in hospitals. by his own admission:

i've bucked the most daunting odds imaginable. from small bleeders to gaping, life-threatening wounds. but it's an uphill battle. i've been in the hospital more than 50 times and had 30 surgeries. that's a lot of slicing! i had my left leg amputated at the knee, my right foot partially amputated and reconstructed; my internal organs reconstructed twice; part of my bladder and intestines removed and bypassed. my massive left hip, thigh, and rear were debulked (cutting the bad stuff out) in 2002--a surgery i barely survived. i still have skin breakdown and oozing from the surgical site. that sucker just won't heal!

i wish he could live a normal life, but then i see his smile and just think man.. if that were my son.. i'd dedicate my life to giving him every second of joy possible.

some of our children will burn long like a candle and some will burn through life like a firecracker.

i'm hopeful that when i graduate in a couple years and am working with patients, that i'll have the chance to come across such a remarkable kid.

it just makes me appreciate, so much, the quality of life i've been given. and not only that, it makes me appreciate the purity of life in general - all material things aside. he may never get to ride a bike, but it doesn't mean he won't laugh and love more than some of us could ever dream to.

a lot of children stare, but i don't mind. i just tell them calmly about my disease and what happened to my legs.

i don't even know the guy and i wrote him an email telling him how proud i was of his attitude and personality and that i hope that i'll have the chance to show the true appreciation for life that he seems to have, and that we all tend to take for granted.

kiddos like this are the reason i want to work with kids when i'm a nurse.. :specs:

notyourtypicalpin-up8-06-full.jpg

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I remember when I was around 19 or so and I was out in the working world and getting on my own... Everyone was always so negative about life. Always so stressed.

I remember that I had planned on spending at least 1 hour a week on a street corner with a sign that said, "Don't forget to smile today!", just to remind some of those people that life is not what we make it - it is what it is.

If we don't appreciate it, it doesn't stop or change, it moves on. To not appreciate it, is only a slight to ourselves and that's something we have to work at everyday. Finding new ways to be fascinated and amazed with life and all it gives..

It's late, I have BIO homework and labs that need to get done tomorrow, and I'm loopy from being half awake...

Have a great day/weekend all.. I just read this and think how amazing life really is.

It's amazing to realize life isn't about the car you're going to buy next year.. it's about the smile you can have RIGHT NOW :)

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

This is one of the reasons I like the patient population I work with. For the most part, they are people who want to know about their condition and how they can be as well as they can considering their illness. Not everyone is lucky enough to work with a patient population that cares as much about their own well being as the nurse does.

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I don't know if I could do it but I am so glad that you want to, as these kids and their families definitely need all the help they can get. God bless you.

OP, do you know who Christopher Rodriguez is? He's a 10 year old boy who was shot last week in Oakland Ca, while taking a piano lesson. A thug, Jared Adams, who was robbing a gas station across the street go him. Paralyzed now. He, too, needs lots of good nursing care. Do you think you could do that type of Nursing? Too sad for me. Maybe someone who knows how can post a link.

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Thanks for the reminder that there is always someone who has a worse situation than we do and they usually have a better attitude than we do! I commend you for what you want to dedicate your life to. I could not do it. It breaks my heart. Good luck with your career.

Leslie

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I am humbled and frankly a little ashamed. Thank you for the reminder that I have NOTHING in my life to complain about!

God loves us all, but this little guy is a very, very special soul.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Such a great spirit that little guy is. Thanks for sharing. Best of luck to you.

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The smile on his face reminds me of a 9-year-old boy I met once with osteogenesis imperfecta. He came in with a femur fx. When I asked him how it happened he giggled and said "My little sister stepped on me!" He thought it was funny. She had tripped while stepping over him when he was lying on the floor watching tv.

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Specializes in Geriatric and now peds!!!!.

No, it is not a morbid reason at all. My son is the reason why I am a nurse today. He was born in 1990 with a rare genetic birth defect. At the time of his diagnosis, he was the 5th reported case in the world. The name of the disease is brachycephalofrontalnasal dysplasia. He was also born with undiagnosised Hirshprungs disease that almost killed him at 4 weeks old. As a result of that, he was severley brain damaged, blind, and deaf. Unfortunately my son died at the age of 5 years in 1995. He would be 17 years old today if he was still alive today. I became a nurse in a way to honor his memory.

Wendy

LPN

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Specializes in Cardiac/Stepdown, Rehab.

What a remarkable kid! Thank you all for posting your stories... it's a humbling reminder to appreciate every moment we have. :redpinkhe

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Specializes in CCU/CVU/ICU.
http://mpolitzer.googlepages.com/

I have two children, a daughter of 6, and a son who looks just like me who's 3.

Both are healthy (far as we can tell), intelligent, beautiful looking kids.

My son's got a cough I need to get checked out, but aside from the little things like that, they can expect a normal life. Not too much unlike my own. The issues they'll likely face will be like mine. Seemingly important, but largely insignificant in the long run.

Then I see a guy like this.. Michael Politzer.

Imagine that you're the mother of a son who's terribly deformed. Do you secretly wish he'll avoid the pain of a terrible life of being different, being under the knife for life saving surgeries?

Do you tell yourself that it just wasn't meant to be and that God will take him soon?

Or do you dam those types of thoughts deep inside and focus on the life that _IS_ there and just pray that you'll get to see his smile and that tender boyhood enthusiasm?

I look at this kid and think.. he's probably lived his whole life in hospitals. By his own admission:

I wish he could live a normal life, but then I see his smile and just think man.. if that were my son.. I'd dedicate my life to giving him every second of joy possible.

Some of our children will burn long like a candle and some will burn through life like a firecracker.

I'm hopeful that when I graduate in a couple years and am working with patients, that I'll have the chance to come across such a remarkable kid.

It just makes me appreciate, so much, the quality of life I've been given. And not only that, it makes me appreciate the purity of life in general - all material things aside. He may never get to ride a bike, but it doesn't mean he won't laugh and love more than some of us could ever dream to.

I don't even know the guy and I wrote him an email telling him how proud I was of his attitude and personality and that I hope that I'll have the chance to show the true appreciation for life that he seems to have, and that we all tend to take for granted.

Kiddos like this are the reason I want to work with kids when I'm a nurse.. :specs:

notyourtypicalpin-up8-06-full.jpg

Stuff like this may make you want to be a nurse...

But It's also stuff like this that makes many nurses alcoholics.

Hope you're able to maintain your enthusiasm and idealism...

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In the mighty name of JESUS!!! I as parents sometimes take the smallest things for granted. I can't wait to pick up my kids from school and hug them and thank the Lord for their good health and strength. This is a real turning point for me. Thanks soooo much for sharing that.

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