Sometimes my job bites....

[southernficoaddict]

Okay, at work tonight and mom and grandmother bring in 8 month old to E.R. who won't eat or drink and vomits everytime she tries.  Sounds like a typical virus right?  I run her sample for a complete blood count and right away I think "there's no way this is right, somethings wrong with the sample"  Make a slide to look at it under the microscope and in about 2 seconds can tell its not a virus.  Some kind of leukemia.  8 months old.  her family had no clue.  Working in a hospital you build a wall up when it comes to the sick and dieing, not saying I don't care, but you have to have a certain distance or you won't be able to do your job.  But this was a fat little baby girl, and thinking about what her next months were going to be like, heck her next 24 hours, it was pretty tough.  We sent her on to our University hospital (one of the top childrens hospitals in the U.S.) via ambulance because she was not going to make it until morning if things kept going in the direction they were going in.  A good friend of mine just lost his 13 month old to cancer and I will never forget what that child went through.  So...please say a quick little prayer for a fat little 8 month old from the deep south whose world by now is flipped upside down.

[llecs]

Thanks for all you do. Without medical professionals, I'm sure most of us would be dead, dying, or extremely lucky.

[Bella1980]

That makes me so sad. I'll say a prayer for that baby. I think it hits you more when it is children.

That reminds me that I have to give my yearly donation to St. Judes next month or Shriners hospital so that they can continue with their research!

[Anonymous]

Very few people on this board know that I lost a son in 1999 to sids at 6 weeks.

WWW.missfoundation.org

reading stuff like this brings tears to my eyes.

[southernficoaddict]

What a beautiful little boy!  I am so sorry that happened.  There really aren't any words are there?

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry to hear about that. I lost my cousin when he was 13 and my grandmother to luekemia. My spouse's best friend since grade school lost her son who was the same age as my daughter a few years ago to cancer as well.

Just a few months ago, we were waiting to find out if our own 3 yr old son had luekemia. Thankfully, the test was negative.

Having dealt with this with my own family and close friends, my heart breaks for all the families, friends, and parents dealing with this, especially with such young kids.

I'll keep that child in my thoughts, as well as the many other children and families dealing with this.

[Anonymous]

To Timothy and all who have lost love ones I am so sorry for your loss. I took my baby to the ER one night and was blown off saying she was having problem with formula and two days later she was on a helicopter to Childrens Mercy with less than 24 hours to live. We had emergency surgery to only find that she had 7 heart defects and that she needed another open heart surgery. My daughter coded three times and I was told that perhaps I needed to be prepared to say goodbye. Well I am blessed that she is going to be 9 years old soon and she is doing well, but of course I take nothing for granted. I am a nurse and I find that it is easier to work with the elderly now....most of them have lived awesome lives and I am glad I can be there for them when it is their time. I have great respect for my peers that are able to work in other settings for I know that they have children too and how emotional it must be to deal with that often.

[Anonymous]

Excuse my bad grammar but I just got off two back to back doubles. LOL....no editing here for me...going to bed!!!!

[llecs]

I cannot fathom loosing a child. We have friends whose 2 yo daughter passed away in her sleep. I remember trying mentally to place myself in their shoes to at least make me appreciate our two kids at that time. Unfortunately, within a couple weeks from that, we lost a child due to miscarriage. Then it happened again a year later. It has been over a year and a half since then and it still hurts..a lot.

[Anonymous]

Oh, Southern!!!!
{{{{{{{Hugs!!}}}}}}}

While I'm so sorry that you have to see those moments, I'm so glad that you do what you do. To echo Ilecs, without people like YOU, more little fat baby girls wouldn't even have a chance at a happy life!!!

My son was born with a birth defect -- one kidney, one multicystic dysplastic kidney. After our amniocentesis, the only thing they would tell us at first was that "something was very wrong." Well, there I was, 5 months preggers, and terrified beyond all thought. Immediately I was rushed in for an ultrasound. And once again, I was told it was "bad." I just couldn't stop crying. The word "abortion" was mentioned as an option a few times by the medical staff. The word "Mongoloid" was also mentioned a few times (hence the option of an abortion).

Then, someone like YOU, someone caring and kind "broke the rules." Instead of making me wait forever to find out what was wrong, she sat me down and actually explained the situation (and yes, I realize she could have lost her job telling me). She told me that thousands of kids are born with this condition and 9 times out of 10, they end up leading normal lives. They still play sports, have fun, have a social life, get married and have kids.

She hugged me and let me cry. She patted my back and got me some water to drink and just helped me calm down. To this day, I send her flowers on the anniversary of that amniocentesis. Not because I'm such a wonderful person, but because SHE is.

Flash forward about 11 years (DS will be 11 at the end of this month). He's got the multicystic kidney and has to have an ultrasound every 2 years, but thank the Good Lord, that's the worst of his problems. He's a happy kid who loves camping with his Boy Scout Troop and his daddy. Loves video games and skateboards like he was born with one attached to his foot!

I sometimes look at him and wonder what might have happened had that sweet nurse not sat me down and talked to me. Would I have gotten an abortion? Well, no, I wouldn't have. But I would have been so upset driving home that an accident would have been likely. And the emotional trauma I would have faced until they could "officially" talk to me about (about a week later), I don't even want to think about.

Anyway, the point of my story is that I'll bet that nurse didn't really think she was doing much when she sat down and talked to me. And I'll bet you explain away what you did as "just doing your job." The nurse in my story didn't just do her job, she went over and beyond. And you did, too.

And you saved a life. What might have happened if you HADN'T persisted in finding out what was wrong? What might have happened if you had just dismissed it as a virus and walked away?

But you didn't. You made a miracle happen.

And of course, it goes without saying that I'll be saying a prayer for her ... and for you, Sweetie.

God bless you, Darlin.' You deserve it and then some.