They were the ones who cared for her until it was time for her to come home.
If I had the money I would send flowers, chocolates, and cards to every nurse who looked after my mam.
She has spent quite a lot of time in and out of hospital but is luckily still here with us to celebrate Mother’s Day. I owe the doctors and nurses who cared for her a lot. I’ll never actually be able to repay them, but they’re forever in my thoughts.
My mam was admitted to ICU in St. James’s Hospital a couple of years ago. It was the darkest and scariest moment of my life. I didn’t want to lose her. I couldn’t lose her. It was a thought that I couldn’t even process. I remember asking her doctor when she would wake up. He responded coldly and said, “We don’t know if or when she will wake up”. The harshness of his words left me feeling hopeless, but then the nurses and their warmth made things feel that little bit better. They gave me the reassurance and hope I was desperately looking for. They moved around the ICU with such a calming presence. How they face such harrowing sights, I’ll never know. Their stoicism, comforting words, and attentive ways helped me so much.
The harshness of his words left me feeling hopeless, but then the nurses and their warmth made things feel that little bit warmer.
Leaving the hospital after visiting hours was honestly unbearable. I was so afraid to leave my mam in case anything else happened to her. What if she got worse? What if she didn’t make it and I never got to say goodbye? Knowing those nurses were there to attend to her every need helped. It was the comfort I so desperately needed when we drove back to our house in Drimnagh. A house that felt so unfamiliar without my mam pottering around. After a few days, she was finally moved from ICU to a regular ward. It was honestly the biggest relief to know she was awake. She was still here. Her story got to continue.
The nurses on her ward kept her company. They made her laugh and helped her put new PJs on. The nurses were the ones who greeted her in the mornings and helped her get ready for bed at night. They helped her put her slippers on and got her magazines and made sure she had enough pillows. They were there to reassure her when she wasn’t feeling well and were always there to chat when she felt lonely.
What if she didn’t make it and I never got to say goodbye? But knowing those nurses were there to attend to her every need helped.
They were the ones who cared for her until it was time for her to come home. The doctors saved her, but I believe the nurses are the ones who truly make a difference. They stopped her from feeling lonely, hopeless, and lost. They were the ones who let her hang up a Dublin flag by her bed and who poured out cups of white lemonade for her. The nurses on her ward were the ones who let us stay for an extra few minutes during visiting hours and who kept my mam’s spirits up when her family felt so far away.
On Mother’s Day, I think of these incredible nurses. I’ll forever be grateful for all they did for my mam. I truly believe they helped my mam recover quicker. Their kindness mended her in a way a doctor never could and I’ll always be grateful for that. My mam is still here to celebrate Mother’s Day because of the staff at St. James’s Hospital and I’ll never forget that. They’re the ones I think of most on Mother’s Day because they’ve been there for so many mammys, grannies, and mother-figures. They leave their own family’s behind and halt their own celebrations for the sake of others. They are the ones who deserve bunches of roses, perfectly iced cupcakes, and cards filled with words of love and appreciation.
To the nurses at St. James’s Hospital, thank you for caring for my mam when I couldn’t be there. I’ll forever be grateful for you, especially on days like today when I get to celebrate with my mam, the first friend I ever made and the best mother a girl could wish for.
