ALL of us have been cared for by our mothers and nurses.
Studies have shown that a foetus can feel the emotions of the mother.
We would have been welcomed into this world by the touch of a doctor, midwife or a nurse who cleaned us and handed us to our mothers.
Let me tell you about a special breed of nurses who look after people with disabilities, like how a mother looks after her child.
These nurses go the extra mile to organise wheelchair races or games for patients during the weekends. They fork out their own money to help patients.
Nurses have contributed a lot to the International Day for Persons with Disabilities.
What make nurses tick? Compassion, love, effective training, lifelong learning, a conducive working environment, cohesive team members and maternal instinct. These nurses treat patients with empathy, regardless of race or religion.
During Ramadan, many nurses fast but they continue to work long shifts to care for patients.
Similarly, a mother’s job is continuous in providing care to her family, often sacrificing her own comfort for others.
I am extolling the virtues of nurses because they expect nothing in return.
Healthcare providers choose to be in the profession because they care for others and hope that if they face a disabling illness, they will receive the same quality of care that they gave to others.
I wish to share this story about all the Florence Nightingales that I have worked with because this year, Nurses Day fell on Mothers Day, that is May 12. One of the greatest lessons my mother taught me is to appreciate others’ good deeds.
I have been blessed with nurses who ensured the clinic and ward services ran smoothly.
In the words of Florence Nightingale: “Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation as any painter’s or sculptor’s work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God’s spirit?
“ It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts.”
The dedication and teamwork of these heroines who sacrifice so much for the patients are just like how mothers sacrifice for their children.
Happy Mothers Day and Happy Nurses Day.
Dr Sharon Anne Khor
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sultan Ismail Hospital, Johor Baru