Monday, October 15, 2007

Thank You

When your mom was having painful labor pains, she stayed with her to coach her breathe and assured her that "everything will be fine."

When your mom was in the delivery room, tired and vulnerable, with both legs hanging up in the stirrups, she pulled you out of her uterus to give you the life you are enjoying right now.

When you could not breathe, she suctioned your nose and slapped your butt cheeks to help re-expand those collapsed lungs of yours and not choke on your own pee (you drink your own pee when you’re still inside the womb).

When you were in the nursery, she clothed you and kept you warm and cuddly in those pretty pink and sky blue quilts. She changed your diaper when you pee or poo, and knowing how temperamental you are (just like what you still are right now), she heeded to your every call.

When you were growing up, she consistently took your weight and height and made sure you get all the shots so you wouldn’t catch measles, mumps and pox that Rambunctious Raymond or Pesky Patty had contracted the summer before.

When you entered school, she was always there to clean your wound and apply the “it-wouldn’t-hurt-it’s-just-like-water” ointment every time you scraped your knee while you’re playing tag with Innocent Ivan and Jovial Jacque.


When you grew up, she stayed with you in that cold operating room, she held your hand, made you feel comfortable while you’re there lying in the OR table helpless and naked, and kept on explaining to you that your tummy ache was caused by a ruptured appendix.

When you got admitted at the hospital, she welcomed you into her ward, made you feel at ease, and reassured you that if you have any problem you could call her at ALL times.

When your doctor told you of your frightening diagnosis, she stayed by your side, gave you a pat on your back, held your hand, and explained to you that epistaxis simply meant nosebleed and your diagnosis wasn’t that bad after all.

When you got older and body pains have become a normal part of your life, she fed you, bathed you, clothed you, brushed your hair, changed your diaper, cleaned your poo, and did almost everything a loving mom would’ve done to her precious child.

When you were lonely and depressed, she made you feel important with her reassuring stories, she comforted you with her therapeutic words, and she stood by you when your sons and daughters have forgotten your birthdays and special anniversaries. =(

When you’re old and gray, she still stayed by your side, she listened to your melancholic, albeit repetitive, stories about your grandchildren and what-have-you’s, she cried with you, comforted you till your last dying breath, and made sure that you’ll have the most peaceful transition from the land of the living to the other side.

SHE... IS YOUR NURSE.

And this is her day.


And this time you owe it to her.

Have you told her how much you really appreciated her taking care of you from the time you were born until the time you get old and die? Can you still remember her name? Can you still recall how many times she heeded your call? Can you still remember her face, her smile, her tender, loving words, and her priceless acts of caring?

Have you thanked your nurse today?

This post is dedicated to nurses all over the world whose special day we’re celebrating right now. For all the things that you do, I will be forever indebted. Long live and Happy Nurse’s Day everyone.

Text: If Caring Were Enough, Anyone Could Be A Nurse

What have you done for her today?

*

Images from Flickr, Adcouncil for Nurses and Google Search.

54 comments:

Drake said...

My mama and I are never quite vocally expressive with our feelings. Gesture-wise, not even a bit. Then again, I take the guts. Whenever I come home, I give her a hug even if she does not do it in return. Seems to be apathy for many, but for me, she's my mama and that's the way she is. For so long, I have never understood that, until I saw her tears fell while taking care of the bedridden me, who contracted PTB almost 3 years ago.

Nice post Ruff. =)

bob said...

kala ko mother's day. nurse's day pala.

Lika nga dito, hug kita. ayan, mas okay pa yan kesa greeting. :D

Anonymous said...

your day nurse ruff?!!

hindi ko na maalala kung sino ang nurse ko nuong ipinanganak ako... at hindi pa rin naman ako naoospital kaya wala pa akong nakikilalang nurse...

kaya solong solo mo ang pabati ko nurse ruff... he he.. pero siyempre na lahat ng kabaro mo sa career!!!

;)

*cheers*

Anonymous said...

Hey Nurse rufruf, keep up the good work to you and to all nurses in d world both female & male.

Sino nga nga kaya yung kumadrona dat helped my mom in delivering me to this world? :)

KC said...

Hi Ruff!

This is a really nice entry. Minsan other people tend to overlook what a nurse is worth but since medyo maganda na rin ang awareness ng mga tao about nurses, they tend to understand the sacrifices that we go through.

Happy Nurses Day to us. =)

Drake said...

oh, it seems my comment wasn't totally directly related.. well, i was caught off guard reading your post. kinda got emotional at that... you see, my mom nursed me when i had PTB. oh well... =)

A great day to you Nurse Ruff!

Coldman said...

salamat sa mga taong katulad mo ruff! Mabuhay ka! =)

bananas said...

i miss my nurse...i know she's ok now but i really, really miss her.





sigh...

Kiks said...

I thanked my nurses in Kowloon Bay. They are the nicest HK Chinese people ever. In a world where hearts have been turned into concrete by commercialism and the greed for capital, they remained true to their profession.

Thank you my ates. Thank you Ruff.

travelphilippines said...

happy nurse day to u ruff and to all my nurse hehe chenalou.

travelphilippines said...

its me gorjess pala just incase hehe.

Maria said...

i only had my nurse when i was born.and i have her picture carrying me inside the nursery, her hair was short and she had bangs, a trend during that year i guess.a wondering kid, i keep asking my mom where she was,because i'd like to see her, and ask some questions of how ive been for hours after i went out from my mom's womb.i never had that chance, but i know she really took care of me.her cute smile in the picture reminds me of that.

nurse (nûrs)

One that serves as a nurturing or fostering influence or means

happy nurses day! (this goes for all who cares..)

mikel said...

bakit yung kuya kong nurse, balasubas? haha. :)

happy nurses' day!

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@DRAKE:

I’m not really that *close to my mom either until she almost left us a decade ago due to some pulmonary emergencies. I was still young then and my concept of life and death is still non-existent. When that incident happened, I promised myself that I would study hard and take up medicine as my college course. Though short of being one and I ended up being a nurse, that incident opened my eyes to the science and art of the health professions. And after all the ups and the downs, and the travel along the thorny, tortuous path, I have realized that nurses serve just one purpose --- to save lives.

And after all, aren’t our own moms our first nurses? =)

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@BOB:

Hahaha. I’ve read the entry nga ulit eh, and surprisingly, it could pass as a Mother’s Day article isn’t it? Well, thanks bob. I really appreciate the greetings.

*Uhm, Ruff hugs back. Pa-hug nga ulit! Pa-kiss na rin bob. Slurp slurp slurp! Aaaah! =D

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@KING DADDY RICH:

I’m extending it king daddy! It will be my week, actually. Hahaha!

It’s weird that I still know the name of the nurse-midwife who delivered me, who assisted in my surgeries, whom I’ve assisted in surgeries, and those who have mentored me when I’m still a novice. It’s just that I feel a certain closeness just by knowing their names even though they wouldn’t even recognize me (at least for some of them) at present.

In behalf of my fellow nurses, whether co-bloggers and otherwise, my sincerest appreciations!

Oooh, you’ve never been hospitalized? =)

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@JOSH:

Thanks joshy josh! Sure I will. Like I always say, I never let my patients down.

I also live by this saying: When you're a nurse you know that every day you will touch a life or a life will touch yours. In this short life of mine, I just hope that I have touched yours cause you certainly have touched mine. =)

No pun intended.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@KC:

Thanks KC. Happy Nurses Week too! =)

Nursing is a very noble profession if only other people could see through it clearly. If people (or patients) consider their doctors as their personal heroes, why can’t they attribute the same level of respect to nurses alike? Nurses tend to patients round the clock, provide them with the utmost level of comfort through individualized care, and demand no professional fees, and it seems as if they really deserve the infamous title “overworked and way way underpaid.”

But if it is in this field that I can find fulfillment, gratification, and contentment in this short life of mine, I’m more than willing to be an overworked nurse for the rest of my fleeting, ephemeral, but fabulous life.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@DRAKE:

No drake, not at all. I really appreciate your comments. It’s totally heartrending and sincere. I guess it’s just normal to get a tad emotional when we talk about the special people in our lives --- particularly our moms. =)

Have a great day drake! I hope you’re in great shape now, emotionally and otherwise.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@COLDMAN:

Maraming salamat coldman! Ikinalulugod ko ang iyong pagbati! Maraming maraming salamat!

@BANANAS:

I miss my nurses too. And I miss being a nurse again. Too much inactivity indeed breeds complacency.

Thanks bananas! Hope *she's doing really well.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@KIKS:

I also hold in highest esteem those nurses who have decided to stay in this country despite the insurmountable amount of tempting lucrative offers to work abroad. It’s such a shame that some nurses have been joining the profession for pecuniary reasons, knowing the fact that the industry of caring does not have monetary equivalence. At all.

Thank you too kiks. Sana maalagaan naman kita kiks, kahit minsan lang. =)

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@GORJESS of TRAVEL PHILIPPINES:

Thank you very much gorjess. Stay gorgeous my friend!

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@ICKA:

Aaaaw, that was sweet. I spent some of my most memorable nursing experiences in the delivery room. But I guess it’s more of the “inner” joy that is what I’m really ecstatic about. I have no babies named after me; no moms invited me to become ninongs of their children; no nothing except for turning their blue babies pink. Yet it feels like I’m invincible, I’m cherished, I’m fulfilled. After all, they may not have expressed their appreciations on the outside, but their priceless smiles --- it’s everything.

I hope you could still find her icka. And thank her personally for the precious gift of life. =)

At least for this Nurse’s Week.

My same greetings to you too. =)

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@AMICUS:

Hahaha! I would like to meet that brother of yours amicus! Feel ko magkakasundo kami niyan! Hahaha.

Muchos gracias amicus. ¡largo viven las enfermeras!

bob said...

"*Uhm, Ruff hugs back. Pa-hug nga ulit! Pa-kiss na rin bob. Slurp slurp slurp! Aaaah! =D" -- feeling naging Bulalo ako. hahahaha!

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@BOB: Hahaha. Basta ikaw bob, you're much much better than the thick, whitish, pasty gel-like substance that comes from the bony bulalo core after a deep, thorough, intense shaking!

Less fattening pa! =D

(This blog is definitely not for General Patronage) ;)

mikel said...

@BOB: Hahaha. Basta ikaw bob, you're much much better than the thick, whitish, pasty gel-like substance that comes from the bony bulalo core after a deep, thorough, intense shaking!

Less fattening pa! =D

_____

ammm... bulalo ba talaga galing to? haha

Drake said...

Aww... that was so nicely said. The truth is, I was never attended by any professional nurse for that matter as I have never been hospitalized in my entire life. How I wished then when I contracted PTB that I would have my first time resting on a hospital bed... Akala ko tuloy, after barfing half a cup of gruesome blood and phelgm from my lung, I'd be hospitalized. Kainis kasi 'yong landlady ko non, ayaw yata maglabas ng pera para i-admit ako, to think ang lapit-lapit lang ng UST Hospital. Hehe.

Your profession Ruff is one of the noblest. I would have also wanted to become a doctor as it was my first aspiration in life. Then again, some things change but at least my fervor doesn't wither much. =)

kalansaycollector said...

aaaaaaaaaaawwwwwww! nakakatouch ang post na ito!

well i loooveee my mom. she knows it kahit na hindi ko sinasabi.

..happy nurse's day! ;p

***

si mama lagi ang takbuhan ko nun kapag may nararamdaman akong masakit. kung anu-anong herbal medicine ang pinaiinom niya. haha. kaya nga naging close ako sa oregano na gamot sa ubo. kapag paranoid ako sa nararamdaman ko sa katawan noong bata pa ako, sa kaniya agad ako lumalapit... hay sila nga ang ating mga nurse!

mrs.j said...

im a proud mamas boy!/girl! hay... she's in london kaya webcam kami lagi cry to death din sia lagi! mz nia daw shoping nmn sa greenhills at makipagtwaran dun haha! mz my mom! (tears)


o well iuy dating na kiks kitain ba?!

Russ Ligtas said...

my brother's in the States, yep, a nurse. Hasn't replied to my emails in months though. Wonder what happened to him...

john be anonymous said...

first thing on my mind about nurse.. YAMAN.. hehehe... Nurse rocks!!!,, yeah....

Emeniano Acain Somoza, Jr. said...

Nurse rules!

engz said...

whew.

proud to be one.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@AMICUS: Hmmm, nice imagination amicus! Meron ka pa bang ibang nasa isip? =) You naughty, naughty boy!

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@DRAKE: Aaaw drake, that was depressing. It's bad enough that you've got the disease, all the more that you weren't able to receive the medical attention you warrant. Sorry to hear about that. And I couldn't imagine everything you have gone through battling with the disease. Good thing you are healthy right now, at least physically, that is. ;D

~Thanks drake. If I have all the means to pursue a medical degree, and I don't have problems to worry of, I'd still want to be one. But for now, a noble life as a nurse would definitely suffice! =D

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@KALANSAY COLLECTOR: Thanks kalansay! Hope you're having a wondeful sembreak! =D

Ako naman nare-recall ko rin yung mga nurse-ish advice ng mom ko noon, na after kong mag-nursing, ay nalaman ko na medyo mali pala, (hahaha) tulad ng pagbibigay ng Aspilets pag nilagnat, basta-bastang pagpapainom ng antibiotics, bawal maligo pagka-hilot, at iba pa. Ngayon, thankful pa rin ako kasi kung hindi dahil sa mga life-saving measures na iyun eh malamang wala nang Nurse Ruff ngayon. Hehehe.

Hmmm, oregano? Diba makati sa lalamunan ito? =D Pero may tama ka, sila nga ang ating unang mga narses. Mabuhay ang mga nanay at mga nurses! =D

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@MRS. J: Me too!!! I'm a mama's boy too. Nandito pa naman sila (with my dad) sa Manila pero in a couple of years eh magmi-migrate na rin sila for good sa States. For sure eh mami-miss ko sila ng husto pero I'd like to consider their leaving as an opportunity for honing my skills on independence, survival, and self-reliance (and by that I mean more boys for me without their kontra). Hahaha!

Sure sure. Gawd kiks' in town! =D

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@YAS LIGTAS: I hope your brother's doing well on that side of the world. Nursing practice abroad is tough, russ. The adjustment, the discrimination, the change of values, it could be too much. Be well russ! Stay strong. Keep the faith!

@JOHN: Hahaha! Sana ako rin! =)
~For now, passion and personal satisfaction would suffice. The YAMAN, it will come too you know, just not now... yet.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@EMENN ESSE: I know! =) Hahaha. Yabang!
~Thanks for the visit emenn. Really appreciate you dropping by.

@ENGZ: Me too! RN and proud of it. =)
~Ikaw, RN, RM pa! Whew!

bob said...

"self-reliance (and by that I mean more boys for me without their kontra). Hahaha!"

un un eh! :p

KC said...

Totoo. We don't demand a PF for the care that we give but I think that having a Nursing Law and a Nurses' day is great. Haha!

"But if it is in this field that I can find fulfillment, gratification, and contentment in this short life of mine, I’m more than willing to be an overworked nurse for the rest of my fleeting, ephemeral, but fabulous life."

Ahhlavett! Stay fab, Ruff. =)

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@BOB: would you believe bob, wala pa me nauuwing er, guy, sa bahay! and i'm just too stubborn to move out. so, when my parents do move out (instead of me), diba, the things to come will be A-MAH-ZING! hahaha.

ano ba naman klaseng author ito, gustong palayasin ang magulang! hahaha. sorry po. love ko naman sila eh! =)

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@KC: I agree, the Nursing Law is too general (the lines, "including, but not limited to") that the possibilities of practicing the nursing profession is practically unlimited. Do you know that the International Nurse's Day is celebrated on March. Marcos' LOI changed it and moved it to October. =)
~Stay sweet KC! =)

savante said...

I did! I did! I bought them lunch.

Now when is it my day dammit? :P

Anonymous said...

I would have greeted Happy Nurses Day kaso ipinanganak lng ako sa bahay eh. Hehehe. Auntie ko lng naging komadrona ni Mama nun. Sabi pa nila ako daw ang pinaka maingay sa amin sa nung umiyak ako.. Pfft!

bob said...

@ruff: nope. I dont. believe you, i mean. hahaha! juk lang! :p

mrs.j said...

ruff.. dat is so sweet! i apreciate it.. parang im feeling u na nga eh! hehe... may gnun?!

Anonymous said...

actually, she's more than a nurse. i love her so much.

[chocoley] said...

Uhh, this is really swt, i miss my mum.. since she's nut around here -- currently reside in UAE fer werk and stuff.

still communication is a bit difficult, i dunno the reasons but i do really miss her.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@SAVANTE: I missed your free lunch doc paul! Dinner perhaps? And some lovin' lovin'? =) It's still my week ain't it?
~I'll ask Hippocrates doc paul. Or maybe I'll just make one especially for you.

@DAIZUKE: Sabi nila yung mga pinanganak daw sa bahay ay matatalino. Any truth to that? =)
~I almost delivered a baby once (sa bahay lang) if only the mom wasn't eclamptic (or high blood). Just remember daizuke, a crying baby is always a healthy baby.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@BOB: Oie bob! Who wouldn't want more skyrockets in flight, afternoon delight diba? =)
~Punta ka Cine-Europa bob? Hanapin kita! Hahaha. Nood tayo "Taming of the Shrew" or yung kay Carol!

@MRS. J: Hehe. You're always welcome! We might see each other with kiks, right? This Saturday daw if I'm not mistaken. =)

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@ATEJACKIE: I agree. They're like the best human beings on the planet, ever! They're almost superhuman! =)

@DAZEDBLU*: I admire moms/parents who have to leave the country to work abroad. They're just so noble. The sacrifices involved in working in a foreign land, the homesickness and the pervading sense of loneliness in not seeing your loved ones --- darn, that could be really unbearable.

chase / chubz said...

im not doubting your brains papa ruff.. but really? you drink your own pee while in the womb?

will you be there papa ruff when i'm sick? huhuhu. =))

horray for nurses.
maybe i should become a nurse.
the way you say it papa ruff that profession is very noble and worthwhile. just like being a madre. =)
i should change careers. my line of study trains you to lie lie and more lies. hehehehehe..
hahay. . . buhay...
ang gulo ng buhay ko.