Because radiation is a therapy that happens every day for weeks, you start to see some of the same people in the waiting room as your schedules overlap. I kept to myself but I certainly did notice a few faces that became a little more familiar, particularly those who would be leaving just as I … Continue reading Finishing Radiation: Waiting Room Story #2
Christian nursing
Finding the Story Amidst Technicalities
Today I went for a CT scan to prepare for upcoming radiation as part of my breast cancer journey. I've been posting some reflections about my experiences for friends in my personal social media accounts, but I will share one here because it pertains to the way we can go about the technicalities of our … Continue reading Finding the Story Amidst Technicalities
An ICU Nurse’s Complicated Relationship with the Turn of the New Year
I wrote a post around Thanksgiving about the strange chasm between holiday bliss and hospital grief. After that post, our unit entered into a stormy December when we saw one tiny human go from just so new to the world, to an everything-altering diagnosis, to sick but cute and alert, to crashing onto ECMO and … Continue reading An ICU Nurse’s Complicated Relationship with the Turn of the New Year
The Chasm Between Holiday Glory and Hospital Grief
Saturday, November 26 Saturday is my usual work day in the pediatric ICU. This particular Saturday falls on Thanksgiving weekend, so my social media feed is full of everyone’s festive family gatherings around a table overflowing with food and drink. I post my own. This is living! So much to be thankful for! Yes to … Continue reading The Chasm Between Holiday Glory and Hospital Grief
Podcast Episode about PICU Nursing with “The Silent Why” is Now Live!
I am overjoyed to finally be able to share this podcast episode with the world. Claire and Chris Sandys reached out to me all the way from England earlier this year to invite me to record a conversation with them, where we go in deep about my work as a pediatric ICU nurse. They are … Continue reading Podcast Episode about PICU Nursing with “The Silent Why” is Now Live!
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
Heart for My Fellow Pediatric Nurses: SPN 2022 Annual Conference Keynote
Tomorrow morning I get to present a keynote at the National Society of Pediatric Nurses 2022 Annual Conference. Mixed motives are always a part of the bag. But my honest prayer is that I would decrease, and that You, the Lover and Redeemer and Rescuer of our Souls, oh God, would increase. Help us to … Continue reading Heart for My Fellow Pediatric Nurses: SPN 2022 Annual Conference Keynote
Camp Nursing is More than Applying Band-Aids
The Journal of Christian Nursing (JCN) recently published this free article on the topic of Camp Nursing. It is not only a wonderful resource for any nurse considering the role of camp nurse as summer approaches, but it is also a beautiful picture of the holistic care that camp nurses bring to both attendees and … Continue reading Camp Nursing is More than Applying Band-Aids
Where is God in the PICU: Cases of Injustice
A couple of months ago, we had a cluster of patients come through our pediatric ICU with extraordinarily heavy stories of injustice. One child had been severely abused for months by a caretaker in the hiddenness of the caretaker’s home. Another child had been shot by a stranger and was left mentally intact but physically … Continue reading Where is God in the PICU: Cases of Injustice
A Letter from a Christian PICU Nurse to the Western Christian Church
To my Western Christian brothers and sisters, I come to you as a fellow Christian and as a pediatric ICU nurse with a burden and a plea. I come to you as someone who knew in theory and through some personal experience before I became a nurse, that this world can be cruel and unfair. … Continue reading A Letter from a Christian PICU Nurse to the Western Christian Church