My Most Memorable Patient

My Most Memorable Patient A Very Personal Story This story is told by Susan, a retired nurse. All names have been changed.

Having been a nurse for several years, there were not a lot of extraordinary days. Things were fairly routine, and seldom did I come across anything that shocked me. So when I got a new patient, Catherine, it seemed like a normal day: An older lady in good spirits, but with a broken hip.

Following Catherine's surgery, she was recovering nicely, and I had some free time, so I was visiting with her. I found her life story to be very interesting, as she had some difficult times as a young woman. Pregnant at 17, she was forced to move away until the birth of her son, and then, after placing him up for adoption, she returned home, only to have her family move away due to fear of being shamed. Catherine said she never gave up the thought of wishing she could find her son, which I understood, as my father was himself adopted and often thought that way about his birth parents. Three days prior to Catherine's release date, we again had a talking session, she was such an interesting woman. This time something was slightly different. She talked of the small town she once loved and lived in until the time she became pregnant. As she talked of the local pharmacy, and the one of a kind soda mixture, it all sounded eerily familiar to me, I assumed she must have mentioned it before.

Related: What does an RN Do? Catherine developed an infection and had to remain hospitalized, so we continued to visit daily. I asked Catherine one day if she had any regrets in life since she was on that subject, and then of course the son she gave up was her main regret. She said that she was so disappointed he could never meet his extended family as well as her; she never even was allowed to see him.

Catherine went on to heal, and returned to her assisted living facility. I made the decision to start a diligent search for my dad's biological mother. I was inspired by Catherine and wanted to make sure my own father did not end up with regrets. The agency I hired to locate my father's biological parents were very prompt. I was told within 3 days that his father was killed in war action even before his birth. 2 days later I was told his mother had been located and was in fact still alive. It took some convincing, but I finally got my dad to agree to go meet his birth mother and her family. This was a huge undertaking, but it was finally paying off. The following week,

my parents, my brothers and I went to a local restaurant to meet my dad's birth mother. Her family had reserved a banquet room, so we were led to that area.

Related: How to handle Patients with Cerebral Palsy As we stepped in and were greeted, I was in for the shock of my life, it was Catherine, my patient from months earlier. Neither of us knew what to say, and the others in the room were surprised at our reaction. By the end of the evening, we were all acquainted, and it was like we had always been family.

My dad could not have been happier meeting his half siblings, and cousins, and I was once again reunited with my most memorable patient.

In memory of Catherine, and my Father, both deceased.

Related: Leading Registered Nurse, Hope Hutslar, RN, will be Honorably Mentioned in the Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Twitter