Loss is something that nurses deal with on a weekly, monthly, and sometimes daily occurrence. It’s part of our job. We have to some how detach ourself from the hard situations that we are forced to deal with so we don’t loose ourselves along our own paths. It’s something that you learn over the years. I can remember every detail of the first patient that I lost, but I can’t remember the name of the last.
Each loss is one more arms reach away from our hearts to protect ourselves from the pain inside us. It’s a little hard to explain but you get close enough to care for a person but not so close that you yourself get hurt if something happens to that person. It’s almost a catch 22. It’s a fine line. But when it’s someone you work with and have shared holidays, birthdays, late night dinners with and that is younger than you, it hurts you to your core.
“A car accident that’s fatal ” is the only information that we get because we are not family. Which is understandable but it still hurts. I still look up and think the person is going to walk up behind me with a joke. I still look down the hall way and think they will come around the corner with a smile on their face. Death is hard. It does however put everything into perspective of what’s important and what’s not.
I have always said please be kind to one another, because you never know when it’s your last. I still stand by that statement. I have seen to many with regrets. Don’t have yours.
