An Irish nurse has been praised for heartfelt massage posted on Twitter which highlights what she and fellow colleagues go through on a daily basis.
The woman Maylena McEvoy, who has voiced support for the scheduled strike action later this month, took to social media this to say how she deals with seriously ill patients and how she has dealt with abuse from patients.
Maylena’s post reads as follows: “I’m a nurse. I once sat with an old woman while a consultant told her she had a large suspicious mass on her kidney. I robbed desserts from another ward and made her and her daughter tea and closed the curtain around their bed when they cried together.”
“I once bought a dressing gown, socks and pyjamas for an elderly man with end stage dementia admitted from a nursing home. He had no family and I couldn’t stand to see him day in and day out with only a hospital gown to his name.
“I sat and cried with a young mother dying from cancer. She had lost her hair and she was skin and bone. Her daughter wouldnt visit her. She told me her little girl was terrified of her and wanted her old mother back. My heart broke that night and all I could do was hold her.”
“I once bought bottles of Club Orange for a young man dying of an AIDS related illness. He took a long time to die. It was very upsetting seeing him towards the end. He died on Christmas Eve and I washed him and laid him out for his family.”
“I’ve had a woman in the throes of addiction threaten to murder my children. I had a man fall on top of me while I was heavily pregnant. I’ve had to dodge kicks, slaps and scrapes. I’ve dealt with abuse from visitors. I’ve fought with doctors on behalf of my patients.”
Maylena’s comments were highly praised by those on social media, with many praising her for speaking up and highlighting what she and nursing staff go through on a daily basis.
1/6 I’m a nurse. I once sat with an old woman while a consultant told her she had a large suspicious mass on her kidney. I robbed desserts from another ward and made her and her daughter tea and closed the curtain around their bed when they cried together.
— Feliz Navan Road (@MaylenaMcEvoy) January 10, 2019
2/6
I once bought a dressing gown, socks and pyjamas for an elderly man with end stage dementia admitted from a nursing home. He had no family and I couldn’t stand to see him day in and day out with only a hospital gown to his name.— Feliz Navan Road (@MaylenaMcEvoy) January 10, 2019
3/6
I sat and cried with a young mother dying from cancer. She had lost her hair and she was skin and bone. Her daughter wouldnt visit her. She told me her little girl was terrified of her and wanted her old mother back. My heart broke that night and all I could do was hold her.— Feliz Navan Road (@MaylenaMcEvoy) January 10, 2019
4/6
I once bought bottles of Club Orange for a young man dying of an AIDS related illness. He took a long time to die. It was very upsetting seeing him towards the end. He died on Christmas Eve and I washed him and laid him out for his family.— Feliz Navan Road (@MaylenaMcEvoy) January 10, 2019
5/6
I’ve had a woman in the throes of addiction threaten to murder my children. I had a man fall on top of me while I was heavily pregnant. I’ve had to dodge kicks, slaps and scrapes. I’ve dealt with abuse from visitors. I’ve fought with doctors on behalf of my patients.— Feliz Navan Road (@MaylenaMcEvoy) January 10, 2019
6/6
All nurses have stories like this. We all go home sore and sad and tired. We do our best but we’ve had enough. We need more nurses. We need better pay and conditions. Please, listen to us when we say we need help. Please stand with us. #Nurses #nursesstrike #StandWithNurses— Feliz Navan Road (@MaylenaMcEvoy) January 10, 2019