Happy International Nurses Day!!

IND 2012 logo image credit ICN

Nurses are honored for their hard work and valuable contribution to the health care society as International Nurses Day is celebrated today. The International Council of Nurses celebrate this day globally to commemorate the birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. In this regard, Al Ain City Daily Photo wishes all the nurses across the globe a happy International Nurses Day!! Allow me to bow in silence in respect to all men and women in this noble profession. I would like to extend my warmest greetings to all of my colleagues in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

This year's theme is Closing the Gap: From Evidence to Action. If you'd like to read more about the IND 2012, please head over to the International Council of Nurses website which can be found here.

yours truly during the Central Vascular Access Device Training

Here in the United Arab Emirates, the Emirates Nursing Association (ENA) prepared a program  under the patronage of her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak and it is currently ongoing at the Armed Forces Officers Club. For more info, click here.

Inspirational Friday: Never Judge Anyone

For the past few days, I seldom check my Facebook account as I am enjoying Twitter these days. This afternoon, I received a message from a friend informing me that she sent me a private message in Facebook. Curious what was it all about, I logged in, read the message and browsed some of my FB friends' wall. While browsing my cousin's wall, a post in her timeline got my attention. I've checked it out and read the notes. I was teary-eyed after reading it and decided to repost it here on my blog.

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Never Judge Anyone by Dreaker Murray McFadden

A doctor entered the hospital in hurry after being call...ed in for an urgent surgery. He answered the call ASAP, changed his clothes and went directly to the surgery block.
He found the boy’s father going and coming in the hall waiting for the doctor. Once seeing him, the dad yelled:
“Why did you take all this time to come? Don’t you know that my son’s life is in danger? Don’t you have the sense of responsibility?”

The doctor smiled and said:
“I am sorry, I wasn’t in the hospital and I came the fastest I could after receiving the call…… And now, I wish you’d calm down so that I can do my work”

“Calm down?! What if your son was in this room right now, would you calm down? If your own son dies now what will you do??” said the father angrily

The doctor smiled again and replied: “I will say what Job said in the Holy Bible “From dust we came and to dust we return, blessed be the name of God”. Doctors cannot prolong lives. Go and intercede for your son, we will do our best by God’s grace”

“Giving advice when we’re not concerned is so easy” Murmured the father.

The surgery took some hours after which the doctor went out happy, “Thank God! Your son is saved!”

And without waiting for the father’s reply he carried on his way running. “If you have any question, ask the nurse!!”

“Why is he so arrogant? He couldn’t wait some minutes so that I ask about my son’s state” Commented the father when seeing the nurse minutes after the doctor left.

The nurse answered, tears coming down her face: “His son died yesterday in a road accident, he was in the burial when we called him for your son’s surgery. And now that he saved your son’s life, he left running to finish his son’s burial.”

NEVER JUDGE ANYONE because you never know how their life is and as to what is happening or what they’re going through. 

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As a nurse working in the medical field, and shall I say, in one of the stressful hospital units, I must say that we try to save a life and for a moment we forget our own. Some people may appreciate what we are doing but some think it is just a plain job. Some people tend to judge us not knowing that we are humans too and we, like them, have families to attend to. It happened to me for several times that I needed to take care of my children when they are sick but I have no choice but to leave them because I need to be in the hospital to nurse some pediatric patients. Situations may be way too far from the story mentioned above, but the moral story is the same.

Two Activities.One Purpose...

click the image to enlarge

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, families are not only affected emotionally, but financially as well. They struggle to pay for hospitalization and treatment necessities while trying to cope up with the emotional turmoil. The disease does not only affect and changes child's life, but also poses challenges to parents, relatives and even some friends to cope with this life threatening illness. The family process is definitely affected including their coping mechanisms. This is so true for Therese Faye Macabbabad's case, a little girl suffering with Relapsed Clear Cell sarcoma of the kidney.

 As a nurse working in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), I've seen several cases and most of them are admitted to PICU post operatively or whenever their condition deteriorates-- requiring intensive medical and nursing care and close monitoring of hematologic and cardiopulmonary status.

click the image to enlarge

A few weeks ago, I have received a message from a friend informing me that he's planning for an activity-- a shoot for a cause, to help his friends. It never crossed my mind that he was referring to the parents of Therese. I have seen them once while they were taking care of Therese in PICU. I was on duty on that particular night but I was not the assigned nurse for Therese. The realization sinked in when I saw these images on my face on my FB wall. The shoot for a cause didn't materialize; instead, these two activities were planned and posted. An hour ago, I've learned from my friend that Therese is readmitted in the hospital for another cycle of chemotherapy.

As a compatriot and as a nurse, I wanted to help Therese but my capacity to do so is very limited. I've written this post hoping that people will help Therese by availing the services posted in these two activities.

From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you in advance for helping Therese and her family. Shukran and God bless you for your kindness.

P.S. Image credit: Sir Mike of Abu Dhabi Lecture Series with consent  of Therese's parents.

Random

Hala napakarami na  ng cobwebs ng blogsite na 'to. Sobrang napabayaan ko sa pagiging adik ko magpiktyur-piktyur at sa iba pang anik-anik hihihi. Madalas rin akong panggabi kaya wala akong masyadong maisip na maisulat. Teka, teka tama na nga ang pagsusulat ng mga dahilan na yan.

Ano nga ba bago sa akin? Eto, dati pa rin. Si Misalyn pa ring nangangarap maging photographer pero wala naman masyadong time mag-shoot kasi palaging panggabi ang duty sa hospital. Kaya madalas ang naipo-post ko sa aking photoblog eh mga kuha ng nakaraang bakasyon or minsan naman yung mga photos na inaamag na rin at halos sandamakmak na ang bilang at forever na lang nakalagay sa aking laptop.

Trabaho wise, dati pa rin. Nasa Pediatric Intensive Care Unit pa rin ako. Nag-aalaga ng mga batang kritikal ang kalagayan ng kalusugan dahil sa sakit. Madalas pa ring sumasakit ang ulo dahil sa mga "proud and mighty" na mga magulang ng pasyente. Masyadong matapang imbes na magpasalamat nga dahil inaalagaan ng maayos ang kanilang mga anak, kahit pa yung iba brain dead na. Nakakalungkot rin na bihira akong makapagturo ng Basic Life Support kasi understaff kami sa PICU. Miss ko nang magturo ng CPR, ventilation at mock code , malerky sa sagot ilang partcipants at magcheck ng answer sheets after magbigay ng test.

Pamilya wise, dati pa rin naman, awa ng Diyos. Nagpapasalamat ako at lahat naman kami ay maayos ang pangangatawan. Si mister magaling na after ng 2 major operations ng tuhod nya. Sa wakas makakapagtrabaho na ulet kaso mapapalayo sya sa amin. Kakailanganin nyang tumira sa Ruwais, mga 6 hours drive mula dito sa lugar namin. Hay naku, dagdag na trabaho nananaman 'to. Hirap maging super Nanay!

Teka puro ata reklamo ang naisulat ko. Maiba naman, gawin nating masaya. Sya nga pala, salamat kung sinoman ang nag-nominate ng aking photoblog sa PEBA Any Blogger, Anywhere! Contest para sa Picture! Picture! Blog category. Kung sino ka man, salamat ng marami. Nakakataba naman ng puso na may naniniwala sa aking kakayahan sa pagkuha ng litrato. ;)

Sumali rin ako sa isang international photo contest kaso hindi pinalad na manalo. Sabi nga nila, better luck next time :)). Sasali na lang ako ulet next year...weather-weather lang yan, baka makasuntok ako sa buwan next year hahahaha! Fingers crossed!

Ay! Meron naman palang magandang nangyari sa aking piktyur-pikytur career. Sinuwerte palang na-published ang ilan sa mga photos ko sa SEYAHA, ang stakeholder magazine ng Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, sa kanilang July 2011 issue, kasabay ng pag-feature nila sa akin at ang aking mga obserbasyon sa  Al Ain City. Kalerky neng! Nosebleed ako sa pagsagot sa interview. Naubos ata ang baon kong English :)) Sabi nila naka-jackpot daw ako kasi na-published sya sa UAE at internationally. Kung gusto mong mabasa, click ka lang dito at i-download mo lang ang PDF copy or preview mo ang E-brochure and turn to page 24 and 25.

O sya napahaba na ata ang aking kuwento. Next time naman ulet kapag tinopak ang aking mga kamay tumipa ng keyboard. Have a nice weekend!