1. Describe your ordeal. Why were you there?

My son was 10 months old when he started to experience blood disorder.  Kai's condition is called Ideopathic Aplastic Anemia.  Aplastic anemia is a condition in which the bone marrow does not make enough new blood cells.  Blood started to leak out.  He began getting something that is called Petechiae which looks like a dotty rash/bruse.  

 

2. What did you expect going in?

In such disbelief.

"No idea what to expect."

I hoped it would be nothing and that I wouldn't have to worry about it.

 

3. Describe a day.

"Super emotional."

"Sleep deprived."

Nurses came in and out all throughout the night, every 4 hours.

I remember being at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and having the doctors come in with a "Crew" of students learning.  

 

4. Your experience?

"This was difficult to handle."

 

5. Relationship component, how did the nurses make you feel?

"They went out of their way to address the emotional side and comfort needed."

The nurses spent more time with us.  The doctors were mostly in and out quickly due to their busy schedules. 

It felt as if the nurses gave us false hope; when it was clea rthat things are not going to be okay. 

 

6. Looking back, what do you take from the experience?

I value all of the people who were involved with Kai, especially the nurses. 

They always went out of their way to care for him.  

"Made me wish I should have gone into health care from experiencing their work ethic and how hard it is."

 

EQ: How does a persons relationship and actions reflect the importance of an individuals needS? And how does that translate into guiding a nurses approach to a patient?

"The people we worked with were so deeply empathetic."  

"They were so sincere in their concern, they cared so much."

"Made it so much easier for us to trust they were doing everything they possibly could."