My No dry-eye Christmas Story!!!!

The day before I decorated my cart, I had the pleasure of meeting a patient in ICU. He was more alert than most in ICU..he was reading the paper. He and I had a great chat...about his family, and mine, how I came to this job...so NEAT, I honestly can't say why there was such a connection, but there was. I was at the end of a very long shift..the 23rd of December. I had offered to work part of a shift for a co-worker, that meant I would be at work on Christmas Eve for 15 hours, and do a turn around and work another 8 hours the next day.  It also meant that I was 8 days straight with no day off. 

Anyway, this man...this very kind man..in ICU was so pleasant, (most people HATE to see me. eh I get why....non the less I do it with a smile, and a joke in my back pocket), but he was too cool. I noticed he had a really neat little tree. So cool, it was teetering on a folding chair...but lit and all. I commented on how cool that was. He told me his grand kids had brought it for him. That was the night of the 23rd of December.

Now, I had offered to work the early shift for a fellow co-worker that had some family stuff going on.  Somehow, from some place, after I had scraped the sleep out of my eyes on the way to work and, had a cup of coffee in me. I passed a Walgreen's on the way to work, I had a thought.... The first thought was that, Wholly crap there is a ton of Walgreen's on the way to work. (Funny to only a few, but really funny to some). OK, so now I am committed, I know they sell battery operated lights, and cards, thank GOD my hubby got the silly hat earlier.

I grab the lights, cards, AND batteries...I am dressed in my holiday scrub garb...with this stupid smile on my face. The cashier asked, "Going to work, or home'? I for some reason proudly said, "TO WORK!, I got these lights to decorate my cart" Probably TMI for her pleasant chat"

Anyhow I taped the 3 battery operated lights to my cart, with the silly hat, and went on my merry way drawing blood. I had many encounters that made people smile, especially, when I dropped a "Grinch", or "Peanuts" card off after I poked them with a needle.

One of the stories is the one I told previously.  Which, was so cool.

http://trying2getit.blogspot.com/2010/12/no-idea-that-i-could-make-such.html

So, later that day after about hour 10, I had been in the ER most of the day. I made it a point to stop back at the gentleman's room in ICU, that initially inspired me. His family was there. I said, " I don't want to interrupt, but you inspired me...see my cart, I have a card for you". He gave me a hug, and introduced me to his family.  It was so cool.

What was even cooler on Christmas day, the next day I worked,  I was feeling the death  tired the overtired , where, you are not sure where to laugh or cry. On top of that I  had a bit of a bug. At times I was not sure I would make it the whole shift.

At one point, I had just drawn a patient on the 3rd floor,  and as I was zooming around the corner past the 3rd floor waiting room, I  was wondering how much longer I could make it. On the way to pneumatic tube to  send down the "stat" blood I had just drawn....I saw, my buddy, my inspiration, AND his family. You see this is good news, because ICU is on the 2nd floor.They  were hanging out in the 3rd floor waiting room.

I stopped dead in my tracks. I, came up with a good quip,"I see you are looking for a change of scenery"? I re-acquainted my self with the family, and said, "Hi, and Merry Christmas"! The family was so cute, so funny. They told me to let my husband how lucky he was, I assured them he knew, I also let them know I was equally lucky. They told me how much joy I brought into a bad situation, they told me about how my  "magic funny cart"was the talk of the ICU.  I still felt pretty sick. It just made my day. I was close to the end of my shift on Christmas Day, I made an extra lap  around the ICU, and dropped of cards to those I could.

Those are the important things in life, those are the "REAL" gifts. I am not gonna lie, I was dead tired, and pretty sick myself, I went home, and slept for 15 hours. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.


We are celebrating our Christmas with our family on New Year's Day. I do work New Year's Eve..I am done at Midnight. You can bet I will have one ROCKIN' blood cart. So Rockin' you will have to stay tuned to find out what party you may have missed.