How My Son's Nurse Has Become Like Family

To my son’s nurse,

Your main responsibility from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. is caring for our son. You give meds and food, change diapers, calm him down when everything is just too much for him. You’re so attentive and sweet to him and I can see in my son’s eyes that he loves you very much. He even cries when he realizes you’ve left for the day.

You’ve become so much more to our family than just the nurse. You fit right in with us.

You’ve become a person we can depend on. After being abandoned by family and friends, it is so amazing to have someone in our corner.

Because of you, we can focus on getting me back on my feet. I can get more physical help from my husband as I stand up to my own serious health problems. Before you started, I handled all of this alone for the most part. The aloneness caused severe depression, which meant I didn’t handle my health. I mostly just wallowed. Now I am able to get up and face the day, even if it’s just for a couple of hours.

You never judge when my hours are up. I go for a walk (with help from my husband), I hang out with the kids and run errands. Then I sit on the couch and try to collect myself despite the searing pain and soul crushing exhaustion. After a while, I am forced to listen to my body and I retreat to my room to be alone and lay down. Even though I am mean to myself when I have to disappear, I know no one else in the house will think badly of me. It helps me a lot to know that we have your support.

You go above and beyond. Not only do you take our son to appointments, but you haul me to doctor after doctor. When there was a medical crisis, you watched the other children. You have done so much for us, there is no way I can repay you. The only thing I can do is tell you how much you mean to this family.

You are always kind and patient with our baby. You never get annoyed when he is crying all day. You never complain about the everyday tasks and you sit right next to my son all day, giving him reassurance and love. You’ve learned his cues, his habits and his needs. You are there for him every second.

It takes a lot for us to consider someone as part of the family. We have been let down by so many people that we’ve become reserved and guarded. We love and appreciate you so much, even the cats adore you. Thank you for always being here, not only for our son, but for all of us.

If you ever need anything, please just ask. We want to support you as much as you’ve supported us.