I never wanted to be a nurse . Well , I never wanted to be the type of nurse that my mother was and do the things that she did . She was the type that got right down in the nitty-gritty of things and was never afraid to get a little dirty when the time called for it . After a long shift of working on the med-surg unit of our local hospital , she would come home absolutely riveting with delight and exclaiming , “ You ’ ll never believe how much poo came out of this patient today . I ’ ll tell you what , I have never had a patient thank me so much for giving them an enema . Who would have thought bowel movements could bring people together !” At 17-years old , hearing these types of stories brought on feelings of horror and nausea , not inspiration and excitement . How could someone be so enthralled over a person ’ s bowel movements ? It was beyond me at the time . Knowing that nursing was absolutely not up my alley , I pursued a degree in English at the local community college . I had visions of being a book author , teaching fresh , young minds , and having deep , thought-provoking debates of the meanings of literature . This is where I saw myself and found inspiration and excitement .
Several years passed and before I knew it , it was the Spring of 2021 . My mom , who was a strong , motivated nurse with her perplexing fascination with bowel movements , was set to undergo spinal surgery due to degenerative disc disease . Her condition had deteriorated rapidly , thus throwing her into an unrelenting state of debilitating pain . As a result , she could no longer perform the nursing duties that she loved so much . Eventually , she had to turn in her badge and part ways with the calling that gave her purpose and joy .
In the effort to alleviate her pain and deliver her to a newfound state of normalcy , rods and screws would be placed along her thoracic spine and extend to her lumbar region . As disconcerting as this procedure sounded , my mother remained hopeful and excited at what the future held . She looked forward to returning to her calling and was assured that after everything was said and done , her life would be as if the disease had never
I Will Become a Nurse — Mother ’ s Gift of the Human Heart
By Sarah King
affected her . A light shone through her eyes when she spoke of the future . We all had a light in all our eyes ; we were hopeful and excited about the future .
We noticed something was not right during recovery when she began to complain of severe pain that was shooting from her spine and down her arm . An MRI revealed an incredible amount of inflammation that was compressing her nerves . Steroids were prescribed , but the inflammation worsened until she eventually lost all feeling in her arm , rendering it useless . The nurse that was once so strong , independent , and hopeful of the future had everything shattered right in front of her . My mom , the woman who nursed not only my wounds , but wounds of countless others was now in the position of her patients . She was the patient , and she needed care .
This is where a certain metamorphosis began within me and the gift that my mother bestowed upon me was slowly being unwrapped . Being with her through her moments of success , disappointment , frustration , and sadness was something that I could only describe as sacred . It was in the little successes of her being able to spray hairspray , comb her hair , and do her makeup that changed me . It was in the moments of being by her side and holding her as she sobbed when the inflammation and pain was so severe that all her progress appeared lost . It was in the moments of pride and incredulousness , when she said the words , “ I think I can wash my hair by myself today . I want to give it a try .”
Stepping back , I felt a tug in my chest as I realized that my mother ’ s journey back to health was both heartbreaking and heart mending . Watching my mother slowly blossom and eventually come into full bloom of independence was a gift . Unbeknownst to me , this was only a small part of the gift that my mother gave me . Through her , I realized that it is not the extraordinary experiences of life that make us realize our humanity , but rather the ordinary . The overlooked monotonies of life that we experience every single day are the things that are most
38 NSNA IMPRINT • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2023 • www . nsna . org