My Story..My Life...

The weather is freezing and my chest is wheezing once again. To top it all, like a cherry on a sundae, I feel really sad. For a dear colleague at work.

K's mentor is not working for this week, so another nurse, A, will be taking K out because K's mentor and A work for the same surgery. However, it turns out that the nurses in my mentor's team (for another surgery) will be taking K out this week. Both K and I were surprised but confused. K was worried that she had done something wrong because under natural circumstances, A will be taking her out. This morning, P was explaining to me that A had just separate from her husband (in terms of divorce) and so to give her a break, my mentor's team will be taking K out. I was quite sad over the news and my heart went out for A. A is a really nice person, always happy and jovial. Whenever she sees that I have nothing more to help out with at the health centre in the afternoon, she always volunteer to take me out to patients' homes for flu injection, to see a syringe driver or for ear syringing. I am grateful for her kindness.

P was telling me that A's marriage had lasted 31 years and today is the anniversary. To make things worse, tomorrow will be A's birthday. During lunch at the old ladies today, I saw A telling S to take a look at her hand. Something was missing. The wedding ring. A had managed to take it off, finally, with a great deal of courage.

I am really touched by the strong bonds among this small group of nurses and how they help each other when one is in crisis. I remember S was telling me that when my mentor's husband died of cancer last year at this period (coincidentally, a few days before my mentor's birthday), these colleagues protected her by keeping her away from terminally ill patients who require palliative care.

- i just wanted to say ...# ;