A Loss for a Life by Alesha

A Loss for a Life by Alesha - October 2013 Scholarship Essay

During my first few months as a registered nurse, I came across many sick people that were dying. The thing that bothered me about these particularly sick and dying patients was the extraordinary measures family members were taking to keep their family member alive, when in my opinion at the time, they had no quality of life. I could not understand where the family members were coming from.
I had a life changing experience when I was put in the spot of being the family member, having to make the choice to take extraordinary measures, or let my love one go. For the first time in my career, I realized stopping extraordinary measures is not as easy as I once thought it was. Although my family and I chose to take my grandfather off life support, it was a life changing experience.
I now have a much better understanding of the emotional part families of dying patients go through every day. I am better able to sit down and listen to the family’s concerns, and adequately educate them on all their options without being biased. I have noticed an indescribable difference in the response I get from the patient's family.
Although the loss of my grandfather was tragic, I am thankful that I am more compassionate with the sick patients I take care of and the struggles their family members have to deal with. This even definitely changed my perspective in many ways. My passion is caring for patient's during end of life and being able to connect with and comfort family members is essential.