Hi everyone,<\/p>\n
There’s been a lot of controversy this week following the Miss America pageant and Miss Colorado’s monologue about being a nurse as her talent. I watched the monologue during the preliminaries and personally thought it was great. Unfortunately there’s some others who felt the need to not only criticize her for it, but chose to be absolutely disrespectful towards the nursing profession. The comments about nurses from the ladies on “The View” absolutely disgust me. I felt very compelled to respond to their complete ignorance and below is what I posted on the Facebook page for “The View.”<\/p>\n
I am not a nurse. I will never be one. If I could have, I would have become one. But, I would not be here today or the person I am today with nurses growing up.<\/em><\/p>\n I have Spinal Muscular Atrophy, typically a rather devastating diagnosis and for many it’s life-ending. When I was diagnosed at the age of 18 months, my parents were told I probably wouldn’t make it much past the age of two. Today at the age of 34, I’m still very much alive and kicking… largely due to the talent of nurses.<\/em><\/p>\n From the age of seven until around the age of 18, I was frequently in the hospital. Sometimes every week, sometimes every couple of weeks and sometimes every couple or few months. I’d be there anywhere from just a couple of days to a couple of weeks. My longest hospital stay was 52 days. It was my home away from home and the nurses were my second family.<\/em><\/p>\n I just have this to say…<\/em><\/p>\n It was a nurse who triaged me the first time I was admitted to the hospital, directly into the ICU when I was seven years old. It was a nurse who calmed me before going into the OR for any procedures. It was a nurse who sat with me many times during the night when I couldn’t sleep or was afraid. It was a nurse who sat with me in my room during the day so I wouldn’t be alone. It was a nurse who recognized the little signs I needed help when I couldn’t speak. It was a nurse who convinced the doctor to let me have a little bit of juice when I wasn’t supposed to because I was so parched. It was a nurse who recognized when my intubation tube was clogged and needed to be suctioned. It was a nurse who called the doctor when I suddenly took a nose dive during the night. It was a nurse who called the doctor during the day when I was having Prednisone withdrawals and was suddenly convinced something was very wrong. It was a nurse who documented every 8-12 hours of my life so the doctor knew the next day what had been going on. It was a nurse who massaged my back for hours when I just couldn’t keep comfortable. It was a nurse who suddenly dropped everything in the middle of the hallway just before shift end because my IV became filled with blood. It was a nurse who poked me over and over for an IV so I could have my meds and fluids. It was a nurse who convinced the doctor to try something else when I didn’t like something. It was a nurse who went to great lengths to wash my hair when it hadn’t been for days. It was a nurse who gave me a nebulizer in the office when I was struggling to breathe. It was a nurse who crawled into bed with me to watch tv. It was a nurse who sat with me while the doctors told my parents I wasn’t going to make it. It was a nurse who comforted my parents after being given that news. It was a nurse who I spent Christmases with. It was a nurse who I rang in the new year with. It was a nurse who I spent Easter and Thanksgiving with. It was a nurse who I spent Halloweens with. It was a nurse who I turned another year older with…twice…and who made sure I still had a great birthday. It was and oftentimes is nursing students who help me maintain my health and independence today.<\/em><\/p>\n It was a nurse who oftentimes was my advocate, hero and who touched my life. It was a nurse’s caring and compassion and expertise who got me where I am today and made me who I am today.<\/em><\/p>\n Not just anyone can be a nurse. It takes special skills. It takes talent many don’t have. It takes a special person to become a nurse. Being a nurse IS an incredible talent.<\/em><\/p>\n Thank you, nurses!<\/em> Fashionably yours,<\/p>\n Jen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hi everyone, There’s been a lot of controversy this week following the Miss America pageant and Miss Colorado’s monologue about being a nurse as her talent. I watched the monologue during the preliminaries and personally thought it was great. 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\nI sincerely hope the ladies learned a lesson from their behavior and the incredible amount of backlash that they have received, and maybe they will think before they speak from now on. I am sure there’s a lot that could be said to diminish the importance of their jobs.<\/p>\n