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372 UNIT IV Nursing Theories

take his wife home. He held onto the slightest management and arranged for a home health
change in her labs or if she experienced a brief nurse to visit her around the clock. I entered the
period without nausea. To him, these minute cir- room to tell the news to the family, and one would
cumstances indicated that she was not dying. I cry have thought that I told them that they had won
when I think of his love for her. the lottery. There was so much joy in the room;
One day when the family was gone, I sat with everyone was hugging and crying. I looked at Jane
Jane. She wanted me to help her put on some and she winked at me. I will never forget it.
makeup and fix up what little hair she had left. Her Two days later I reported to work to find Jane’s
father was coming from California to see her, and husband and her youngest son waiting in the
she wanted to look nice. As I applied foundation to lobby of the unit. Jane’s husband had red and swol-
her face, Jane told me that she knew that she was len eyes and he didn’t need to say a word. I walked
going to die soon. I listened in silence, as it was the up to him and wrapped my arms around him. He
only therapeutic technique that I could utilize to just broke down. We spoke for a long while; a con-
hold back my own emotion. She went on about her versation filled with compliments and gracious-
own personal desire to see her family and to spend ness for the care that I had provided to his lovely
her last days surrounded by them. I combed wife. I told him that I knew no other way to care
through her hair as I asked her if there was any- for her and that she would never leave my thoughts.
thing that she wanted me to do. Jane looked As they turned to leave, Jane’s little boy pulled out
straight into my eyes and said, “Get me out of this a small bottle of perfume. As he handed it to me he
place.” said, “This was my mommy’s”. “She said that you
I went home that night and hugged my hus- love it . . . I want for you to have it”. As I embraced
band and my son a little tighter. As I fell asleep, him and thanked him for the gesture, I looked up
I could not stop thinking of Jane. The next morn- at Jane’s husband and he nodded his head in
ing, as I spoke with the oncologist, I told him approval. At that moment I knew that I had made
of my time with Jane the previous day. Collabora- a strong impact on this family through the simple
tively, we decided that she could go home with a essence of caring.
nasogastric tube and various prescriptions with *The author thanks Tahseen Nizam Silva for sharing this nursing practice
which to control her pain. We consulted with case story.

CRITICAL THINKING ACTIVITIES

A Nursing Situation Reflection 3. Enter again into Jane’s world and be vulnerable to
Find a comfortable space in which to pause, recall, her pain. What values of caring did she express in
and reflect. Close your eyes and dwell upon the the nursing situation?
meanings and the caring that took place within the 4. Did the nurse express her compassion? How would
nursing situation; then fully engage in the moment you have responded to Jane’s calls for caring? Are
and in the meanings that emerge as you consider there other ways to express caring that might have
these questions: been meaningful to Jane?
1. How is the nurse expressing caring in her 5. Place yourself in the shoes of the nurse, and
responses to calls for nursing from Jane? Put describe the mutuality of living and growing in
yourself in the nurse’s shoes and see Jane caring. What difference did caring nursing
through her eyes. Describe the calls for caring make in this nursing situation?
perceived by the nurse. 6. Record your own story of caring in a journal, and
2. How is the father expressing his caring in the reflect on your intention in that nursing situation.
nursing situation? How are her children living out Review the story from time to time to see how
their hope? you have grown in your caring.