Nurse: "It was a busy morning,
approximately 8:30 am ,
when an elderly gentleman, in
his 80's, presented to have
sutures
(stitches) removed from
his thumb.
He stated that he was in a hurry
as he had an
appointment at 9:00 am . I
(nurse) took his vital signs and
had him take a seat,
knowing it would be over an
hour before someone would to
able to see him.
I saw him looking at his watch
and decided,
since I was not busy with another
patient, I would evaluate his
wound. On exam
it was well healed, so I talked to
one of the doctors, got the
needed
supplies to remove his sutures
and redress his wound.
While taking care of his wound,
we began to engage in
conversation.
Asked him if he had a doctor's
appointment this morning
somewhere else, as he was in
such a hurry. The gentleman
told me no, that he
needed to go to the nursing
home to eat breakfast with his
wife.
I then inquired as to her health.
He told me that she
had been there for a while and
that she was a victim of
Alzheimer Disease.
As we talked, and I finished
dressing his wound,
I asked if she would be worried if
he was a bit late. He replied that
she no
longer knew who he was, that
she had not recognized him in
five years now.
I was surprised, and asked him.
"And you are still
going every morning, even
though she doesn't know who
you are?" He smiled as he
patted my hand and said. "She
doesn't know me, but I still know
who she
is."
I had to hold back tears as he
left, I had goose bumps
on my arm, and
thought, "That is the kind of love
I want in my life."
True love is neither physical, nor
romantic. True love
is an acceptance of all that is,
has been, will be, and will not
be.
Good friends are like stars...You
don't always see
them, but you always know
they're there