Louise Carroll met me under what could be considered “A Baptism of Fire.” I was being naso-gastrically fed into my duodenum and had been in 3D for many weeks.
On the night Louise met me, I had just been transferred to 3R and was still reliant on bedpans and a lot of assistance from the nursing staff. On this particular night, the feed I was on was giving me dreadful diarrhea, and Louise had to attend to me eight times between midnight and six a.m. She did so with grace and humor. Partway through the night, she said to me, “Did you used to be a teacher?” to which I responded, “Yes, I did.” She asked me if the students called me Shimmo, and I confirmed that was the case, and then she told me I was her boyfriend’s favorite teacher! I asked who he was and was able to share with her that he had been my favorite student. I told her she could go home and ask him to guess whose ‘arse’ she had been wiping all night!
She continued to care for me and treat me with the same level of dignity throughout my hospital stay.
Louise treated all patients equally. She worked hard, was punctual when performing OBs, and went out of her way to ensure that all the ladies on the ward had their needs met.
She really is a gem. Nurses deserve recognition for making each of us feel special and encouraging us to do our rehabilitation and improve as best we can each day.
When I was upset or disappointed by setbacks in my progress, Louise reassured me and encouraged me to keep going and remain strong in the face of adversity.