I  COULDN’T BEAR THE TO SEE ANOTHER LIVE BEING LOST

Me and My dream

I am Miranda, a young lady full of dreams, which I am working hard to attain.  I have always had the passion to help people, especially those who are sick and in need. Growing up as a little girl, I used to admire nurses so much. During our kids’ play, I always played the role of a medical personnel, where I will use sticks as syringes… it was always fun. In my secondary school days, I was always called up to take care of those who were ill in the dormitory. This act earned me the name “Ma Nurse.” This dream grew stronger into a reality as days went by.

My reality and fear.

After my advance level, I enrolled into nursing school, which I was so passionate about. This made so excited and wanting to be the best in my domain. I will forgo everything and dedicate my time to learn and know more whenever I was on internship. I loved what I was doing. In the third year of studies, I was assigned to  a hospital for an internship which made me want to give up and kill my dreams of becoming a great healthcare provider.                                                                                                        This is how it all happened… Being in the third year, I was expected to be able to take care of patient’s fully as one who is already into the core. So with this, duties were assigned to us, be this should always be under supervision from a senior nurse. The first few weeks went on well with challenges and with me being able to overcome them. In one of my duties, I received a young boy from the operating room who had an accident and his poor mother rushed him to the hospital for medical intervention. After a successful surgery, I was assigned to take care of the patient at the intensive care unit till the he was good enough to be sent to the surgical ward for further care. After a while, this young boy was found fit enough to continue care in the ward, which he was taken there. A week later, it was time for me to move to the next unit, which happened to be the same unit which the boy was. When I went there, I was excited because I knew I will continue to care for patient. When I got there, I noticed that he was rather deteriorating from how he left me at the intensive care. His mother who had become close to me told me he’s constantly in pain and no one really paying attention to that. He could hardly move or discuss the way he did with me before leaving the intensive unit. I walked up to the nurse in charge of the unit to report what I had seen so that actions could be taken. Instead of listening to me, she rather spoke rudely to me and told me not think that what I read from the books is what happens in reality on the field. These words took me aback and I felt uncomfortable with that. Despite all the talks, I still tried to keep calm. The next day when I came back to work, the young boy’s condition was still getting worse. I still walked up to this lady who is my direct supervisor and suggested the buy be sent back to the intensive care unit for management, is still got the cold shoulder. This went on a third time with no reaction tried all I could, but no one listen. All I was told was that I was just a “student” with no experience to how patients behave. This statement demoralized me greatly and I felt I was in the wrong field. I was despised and my opinion didn’t count. On the fourth day, when I came to work, I went to check on all my patients, as it was my routine. I found out that this boy’s vital signs had not been monitored that morning and his medications not served. His poor, saddened mother was by the bed crying and told me he had been in pain since the previous evening and had not been able to sit up. I immediately rushed to get his vital signs and medications. By the time I got back, I realized he had breathed his last. I quietly excused myself and went straight to the ward charge to come check on the patient. When she realized he was dead she broke the news of the demise in an arrogant and hurtful way to the family. The family couldn’t bear the pain, so too I couldn’t. Tears ran down my eyes, but there was nothing I could do. This hurt me to the extent that I felt as giving up on my call. I felt I had not done enough to save the boy. When the surgeon heard the cry and came to find out what happened, the lady in charge picked up an argument with him. Later on she shifted the blame on us, say that the students did not monitor the patients vital signs. This statement brought an increase in my heart rate and I couldn’t hold my peace anymore. I had fears of losing my future and at the same time fear getting into trouble with this lady if I dared to talk. But I couldn’t stand seeing another live being lost and I didn’t want to live with that guilt. So I had to face the odds. I reminded this lady of all the instances I confronted her concerning this boy.  Being so furious, she reported me to the authorities, twisting the story. I was suspended from my activities, but I felt relieved. The next day, I was called and questioned about what had transpired and I narrated the details of the story. The general supervisor did her reports and the case forwarded for further examination and sanctions. 

My new perspective…

  With all that had happened, I felt like giving up in order not to one day “get killed on the job.” A little reflection on the words of an insane man who lives in my community gave me a new perspective. He used to tell me and I quote “Little Princess Wales, with your heart and little fingers, you can do great things.” I thought he only talked about the piano I played, but only got the deeper meaning of this word that day. I doubled my efforts in school till I graduated in 2015 in honors. Ever since I completed school, I have not relented my efforts in saving lives in my own little ways. I may not have saved as many people as would have loved to, but I believe I’ve impacted so many lives in a great way. It has not been an easy journey trying to reach out to the people. I have gone through a lot of challenges, ranging from accidents to other live threatening conditions, but I have not given up.  This has inspired me more to the extent that I want to do more for my community and country.  Presently, I’m on a quest for more knowledge in order to get better ways to manage the health challenges I find in my community everyday, ranging from disease to disaster. I cannot bear to see more lives being lost out of negligence. I have to bring that change in no matter what. I believe everyone has a role to play in the cycle. I call on everyone to play their own role in order not to bring a breakdown in the chain. Let’s do our best to play our role and enable others play theirs, so as to avoid the blames and save the human race.