Charity Melliff
December 2016
Charity
Melliff
,
RN, CCRN
Deaconess Gateway Hospital - Neuro ICU
Deaconess Hospital, Inc.
Newburgh
,
IN
United States

 

 

 

My son was brought into the ER after a very severe drug overdose. After many hours he was admitted to the hospital. He had IV's, wires, and a breathing tube and was medically sedated. This is an extremely hard thing for a mother to see. I was trying to stay strong but once he was finally in a room and I looked at him lifeless looking and covered in equipment, I started to cry. Silent tears were rolling down my cheeks. Now, Charity had already introduced herself as my son's nurse for the shift but that was our only interaction at that point. But she looked at me and said "I know it's hard to actually see your child this way." Charity brought me a box of tissues and told me "I'm a mother, too. I understand." These were words that I truly needed to hear. When you are dealing with the disease of addiction, medical staff can often seem judgmental toward the parents. But Charity knew just by looking at me that this was not what I wanted for my son and that it hurt me deeply to see him this way. My nurse proceeded to go over the plans for his care, step-by-step and asking me frequently if I had any questions. I interjected some here and there and all questions were answered fully and to my understanding. Charity then took the time to talk to me a little about my family and hers/his as well. My crying stopped and I was able to start focusing on my son's recovery and what was ahead instead of the tragedy of what had already happened. Kind words, some tissues, andgenuine caring: thoseare the things I am grateful to Charity for!