Smile, Life's Beautiful

Yesterday I had a patient pass away. It wasn’t on my shift but it happen a couple of hours before my shift started and they were waiting for the family to arrive. The patient was 85 years old, but still completely with it, walking around and everything. I even remember her telling me that her 86th birthday would be coming up in August. She was my patient for two days earlier in the week so I had gotten to know her and her family pretty well and I was incredibly sad when I walked into work and they told me she had coded and didn’t make it. When the family arrived I saw the granddaughter and she immediately hugged me, telling me the patient had mentioned me a few times and that she had loved me. Despite how frustrating some days can be as a nurse, moments like these make me so happy, knowing that I had touched someone else’s life.