Life's Lessons and the Art of Nursing: Wisdom from the Living and Dying

By Kathy Mercurio

Along her 30 year nursing career path, Kathy Mercurio has been privileged to learn some of life's most important lessons. Often, the "teachers" were unsuspecting, unintentional educators in the form of patients, their family members and friends.
Join Kathy in learning and sharing some light moments, dark days and hard-learned lessons in the pages of this intimate look at the Art of Nursing and the Life's Lessons that are imparted.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Sep 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9781463432652

Kathy Mercurio

Kathy Mercurio is a registered Nurse with over thirty years' experience in Critical Care, Trauma, Emergency and Post-Anesthesia Nursing, as well as Hospice and Infection Control. Her career in Nursing has spanned three decades, in small community hospitals as well as large urban trauma centers. She attributes her success and continued passion for nursing to a "God-given gift". Kathy resides in New England with her husband, Gary and their two rescue mutts, Moose and Bella. She has two adult children, Ryan and Caitlin, for whom this book was originally written. "I wanted to leave a legacy of my life's work for my children and grandchildren", Kathy explains. It is her hope that the lessons inside this intimate look at her patients' living and dying words and wisdom will inspire, teach and remind you how beautiful and precious life is. In her spare time, Kathy enjoys camping, gardening, reading and kayaking. She is an avid outdoor enthusiast and loves the North Woods of Maine.

Book preview

Life’s Lessons and the

Art of Nursing

Wisdom from the Living and Dying

Kathy Mercurio, R.N.

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AuthorHouse™

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© 2011 by Kathy Mercurio, R.N. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 09/07/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4634-3267-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-3266-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-3265-2 (ebk)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011916274

Printed in the United States of America

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Life’s lessons and the

Art of Nursing

Chapter 1

Born on the 4th of July

Chapter 2

Merry Navidad

Chapter 3

Gone Too Soon

Chapter 4

Music to my Ears

Chapter 5

Patti-not-in-a-Pocketbook

Chapter 6

Lights, Camera, Action!

Chapter 7

Pet Therapy Before it was En Vogue

Chapter 8

The Inevitable Secret Vernacular

Chapter 9

(In)Famous Last Words

Chapter 10

Share and Share Alike

Chapter 11

Morgaine and Me

Chapter 12

Believe about Half of What You Hear

Chapter 13

Epilogue

Life’s lessons and the

Art of Nursing

People comment, You are such a Special Person . . . You are an Angel of Mercy . . . You must have The Calling. Not really. In my opinion, I am a bit selfish and narcissistic. Every time I get to ease, fix, medicate, soothe, or calm a patient, I get a very basic need within ME met. It feels good. It feels important. It feels like a privilege to me.

How can I take credit for all that I have given when I have gotten a million times more back? My patients, their families, their loved ones, have been my life teachers. They have imparted lessons, in the darkness of night, in the midst of extreme physical or emotional pain, during the greatest moments of joy or loss, sorrow or decision… . my life’s lessons. My path has been paved with the stories that you will read. You and I will share and learn, teach and gain, laugh and cry, and ultimately, grow so much more than we imagined.

Sit back in the recliner in the den, the rocker in the nursery, the futon in the dorm room, and learn. It is my honor to share. It is their stories that will inspire.

Shhhhhh..Patients teaching.

Listen to the lessons.

They come in all shapes and sizes.

They come when we least expect it.

Love, prayers. and heartfelt thanks to my patients, their families and loved ones, for letting me in on their stories. You have ALL changed my life for the better, one lesson at a time.

**names, dates and some minor details have been changed**

Chapter 1

Born on the 4th of July

On leave from boot camp, Cliff was doing what most red blooded 18 year olds on leave would do: partying with his buddies. Nothing out of the ordinary for the very tight knit group of friends from a small, middle class community. Cliff had been away for awhile, so his pals decided to throw a Welcome Home party.

Many of us have told our kids, Don’t Drink and Drive . . . Call me, I will come and get you . . . Stay where you are, I’ll see you in the morning. I am sure Cliff’s mom. Elizabeth had told each of her 3 boys the same things. And for once, Cliff listened. When he decided to leave the Welcome Home party, he made the decision to walk the 3 blocks back home, leaving his Jeep at the party with the intention of picking it up the next day. It was a warm May evening, and there was no reason to risk driving.

The road Cliff took toward home was dark, not very well lit with blind twists and turns. As he walked toward the modest two bedroom home where his single mom had raised 3 fine boys, he was struck from behind by a vehicle that did not stop. Unconscious, Cliff lay in the road until another driver, on that dark and winding road, heard a thump under his car. Getting out, the driver realized he had run over the lifeless, unconscious body. Calling 911 and frantically trying to get Cliff out of the middle of the road, the second driver did the best he could to drag Cliff’s 6 foot 4 inch muscular body over to the side of the road. With hazard lights on, the second driver anxiously waited for help to arrive.

Just get his temperature up to normal so his mom doesn’t have to touch his cold hand. It is all we can do. He won’t survive the night She doesn’t need to remember him cold. The surgeon was pale and tired. He had been in surgery with Cliff for ten hours, attempting to save his