Months to Years is a beautiful online literary journal, filled with pieces that courageously and tenderly address the issues of mortality and terminal illness. My piece, "A Story of a Good Mom," is now live in their current Summer 2022 issue. Working in pediatric ICU nursing as a mother myself to school-aged children, the parents' … Continue reading Published piece in “Months to Years”: A Story of a Good Mom
Author: Hui-wen (Alina) Sato
a goodbye poem, to the one we will never forget.
You came with a list of diagnoses that came with a list of stipulations that came with a list of medications that came with a list of how to give them for this stipulation or that one of the list of diagnoses. You came with a knack for Legos and a passion for online gaming … Continue reading a goodbye poem, to the one we will never forget.
A Mini Collection of Lighter Moments
By nature, a pediatric ICU sits heavy about 95% of the time. That's held true, and then some, for what's going on in our unit this week. But once in awhile, we can have fun too, and with the backdrop of such heaviness and grief, I cherish those light moments all the more. Here are … Continue reading A Mini Collection of Lighter Moments
An Unexpected Remedy for My Moral Distress
When Katherine first started bringing her very medically-complicated daughter into our pediatric ICU, we all marveled that her child had even survived the early months of infancy. All the odds were against them, but they were tough, this mom and daughter pair. I didn’t know what her pregnancy and birth journeys were like. Did she … Continue reading An Unexpected Remedy for My Moral Distress
New Blog Post for AJN: Loss from Nurse Attrition Goes Deeper Than Numbers
There's obvious stress that comes with the ongoing short staffing issues in nursing, but as I wrote this latest blog post for American Journal of Nursing, I realized my real ache in seeing colleagues leave, is something different and deeper. I support each colleague w all my heart, and yet my heart feels all the … Continue reading New Blog Post for AJN: Loss from Nurse Attrition Goes Deeper Than Numbers
Back to Basics on an Excruciatingly Complicated Day
I have so many questions and so few answers today. But the one question I think I can and should tackle is, How can I know and love my neighbor better today? Maybe it will help me build relationship and trust, for when hard times come upon them in the future. They could call on … Continue reading Back to Basics on an Excruciatingly Complicated Day
Exhausted, Grateful Nurse-Moms, I See You.
I should be at work today. No, I should be home. I’ll spare you the extraneous details around why I ended up calling out from work today because we didn’t have childcare coverage for our kids, who are now out on summer break. As guilty as I feel, given that the unit sounds a bit … Continue reading Exhausted, Grateful Nurse-Moms, I See You.
Ode to Fellow Nurses
We've had a number of very sad and sobering deaths in our pediatric ICU as of late. Some were kids who were only just recently diagnosed with a terminal illness, who decompensated more quickly than anyone was prepared for. Some were kids who had been dealing with a chronic illness for years and were in … Continue reading Ode to Fellow Nurses
Remember Why You Are Here
It's International Nurses' Day, and it feels bittersweet this week to celebrate this profession that we deeply love and deeply wrestle with, particularly at this moment in history. So many of us find ourselves asking, "Why am I still here in nursing?" I ask myself that more than ever - not because I have any … Continue reading Remember Why You Are Here
Upcoming Webinar with Speaking Grief: Minimizing Burnout in Death Care Professionals
The Speaking Grief Initiative is doing such important work in recognizing and validating the reality of grief in our world, both personally and professionally. I'm so grateful to be a panelist in this upcoming webinar on "Minimizing Burnout in Death Care Professionals." While this webinar speaks first and foremost to the experience of funeral directors, … Continue reading Upcoming Webinar with Speaking Grief: Minimizing Burnout in Death Care Professionals
The Heart of Nursing 