A Witness to Letting Go: Nursing Care at the End of Life

March 20, 2018

(Oncology Nurse Advisor) – I felt like a burden most of the time I spent in that room, as if I was constantly interrupting. Getting in the way of the goodbyes. Getting in the way of a family. After an awkward intrusion to perform oral care, one family member stood up and hugged me tighter than I expected and said “thank you” through tears. That moment is thus far my favorite. It was a moment in which I could not have felt more helpless. A moment in which I was humbled, stretched. I didn’t feel like I deserved in any sense of the word the privilege of delivering care to this family. It was also a moment in which I truly felt like a nurse.