I started coming to Becky during one of the worst seasons of my life. I was rightoffthe heels of a39-dayhospital stay, I was scheduled to have surgery for an ileostomy in November, and I had a fistula that made it impossible for me to eat. Only being in my early twenties, I never imagined I would have to deal with such big medical issues. I wasphysically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted. I scheduled my appointment at the wound clinic because my fistula pouch was leaking and was causing my skin to get irritated.
The first appointment I had with Becky was painful, not because of her, but because the skin around my wound was so raw. Most of the visit was spent silently crying as she worked her magic totry to get my fistula pouch to work properly. I could tell she felt bad that I was in pain; she kept apologizing even though it wasn't her fault. I had comeintothe clinic that day frustrated beyond belief, and ready to give up hope that my fistula pouch would ever work right. I was considering giving up on being in a play at my college and returning home. Becky changed that. I left the clinic that day overjoyed and filled with a new sense of hope, my fistula pouch was draining properly! I began to look forward to my twice-weekly dressing changes.
We would talk about how things were going for me, and I learned a little more about her, her family, and why she decided to become a WOCN. On one of my last visits, she gave me a book about how to bring humor into living with an ostomy, because she knew how nervous I was to adjust to life with one. I nearly cried when she gave it to me, because it was so unexpected and just what I needed to read. She gave me an ostomy starter kit that even included a practice stoma so I could practice cutting a pouch and snapping on a two-piece. Her kindness, gentleness, and drive to make sure that each dressing change was perfect put me at ease and made me feel safe and comfortable. She has an attention to detail that is exactly what a patient should want in a WOCN, and that is just one of the things thatmakeher such a great nurse. Because of her, I unofficially decided that if I ever decide to change my career, it will be to become a WOCN. Any patient who is lucky enough to have Becky is in incredibly good hands. There is no doubt in my mind that she deserves this award.