HAVE YOU EVER REGRETTED SAVING A PATIENT?

Yes. A young boy, so badly burned he was frightening to look at. Not to be gross, but as I changed his dressings, even fingers would fall off. His entire head was a horror mask. The contractures from scar tissue made his posture grotesque.

His father had lit him on fire. We all showered him with affection, but as what he was going to look like, when finally able to be discharged……well, more than one of us nurses prayed he'd pass quietly in his sleep.

We didn't allow mirrors on the unit, but one day he saw himself reflected in a window. He broke down and cried. That broke our hearts, even more.

He lived. Was discharged. Facing years of reconstructive surgery. I don't know what happened to him.

But yes. Many nurses see extreme cases like this and pray that , even though they're giving their best effort to save a life, that God will have mercy, and call that patient home.