Apparently the only thing that can get me writing in my blog again is to celebrate Nurses Week! Or more specifically, two nurses in particular...
Sheila and Lindsay.
Of course our beloved She-She (Sheila) has appeared many times off and on throughout this little blog. How could she not? She literally walked into our lives in the summer of 2008 just to provide a one time visit to check on Tess and the rest is history. We absolutely refused to let her go. One time visit? I do not think so, ma'm. We are like the Bermuda Triangle. We suck you in and you never can get back out.
Sheila is family now and that's the end of it. She has held my hand, given me hugs, cried with me, argued with me, and basically made my life so, so much better by being in it. She's like my big sister. And that doesn't even begin to talk about how much she's given to, and done for, Tessie. It is not an exaggeration for me to say that a good part of the reason that Tess is still with us today is because she's had Sheila in her life caring and advocating for her. That is why Tess gave Sheila her graduation stole as a way to thank her.
Ever since I've known Sheila she has worked in a hospital along with taking time to come care for Tess in our home (off and on throughout the years). She was the absolute BEST emergency department nurse in Rockport for many, many years before moving to Southern Maine where, I have no doubt, she is the best nurse in her department at their hospital.
Sheila can be literally out of the country, and if I need her, I can reach out to her. She's never not going to call me back if she sees I've tried to reach out to her. She is my go to for any medical question about Tessie. I trust her, rely on her, and just have peace knowing, even if she isn't right next to Tess, she's just a phone call away. And if the shit should really hit the fan, she would be doing whatever was necessary to get herself to Tess. And Sheila is who I want whenever anything scary is happening with Tess.
There is not one single family milestone event that I can think of that Sheila hasn't made it a priority to either be at, or keep Tess with her for when Tess couldn't come with us. From Blake, Ellie's and of course, Tessie's high school graduations, to Blake and Ellie's college graduations, to keeping Tess (with help from Lindsay) while we traveled to Punta Cana for Blake and Bobby's wedding, to Ellie's med school Match Day celebration and then Med School graduation, Sheila is there to help and to celebrate with us. She is even making plans to be available in December and travel to New Hampshire so she can help (and also celebrate with us) with Tess when Ellie gets married. That's just who Sheila is. She knows that by her being there, I will be able to be fully present for my other daughters and get to just enjoy those moments knowing she is there if Tess runs into any trouble health-wise. It's such a gift.
There are too many, and at the same time, not enough words to describe Sheila and what a blessing she is and has been to our family. To any and ALL of her patients. Sheila loves with her whole heart and treats her patients like she would want anyone she loves to be treated. She is loud, fun, sensitive, kind, compassionate, smart, and above all, she cares about people. Sheila is a nurse. And I am so thankful for her.
Now let's chat a bit about Lindsay, aka Jan. Lindsay came into our lives when we moved to Scarborough so that Tess could attend the Morrison Center. Lindsay was the school nurse there. Then she met us. And Tess. And what can I say, that Reidy Bermuda Triangle thing is real and it's strong. She knew we needed a home health nurse and we knew we needed her. Again, the rest is history. She quit as the school nurse and we sucked her in as Tess's full time home health nurse with Sheila picking up the other hours that were available every week.
I could not believe my luck! These two women were a freakin' force of nature and to know that Tess was being loved and taken care of by them was such a stress reliever.
Lindsay and I hit it off pretty much right out of the gate. We were basically each others yin and yang. Lindsay is a softie and has a huge heart. She absolutely loved Tessie and treated her more as an equal than as her patient. I don't mean in the care she gave. Lindsay is an amazing nurse. I mean that she never doubted that Tess is smart with her own thoughts and opinions and treated her in that way. She would get such a kick out of Tess's eye rolls and sassy attitude.
Lindsay would go along with my crazy ideas for theme weeks or Halloween and even help make those ideas come to life. The woman literally made Tess's wheelchair into the Iron Throne for crying out loud and came dressed as Tessie's secret service when Tess was the president one Halloween. They would watch Tess's movies together, sing Tess's favorite songs together, and just generally love each other. It's safe to say that Lindsay was Tess's bff.
I relied on Lindsay for her opinion all the time where Tess was concerned. Does she look pale? Do you think she's getting sick? Is that a seizure? Is she still seizing? Do we need to call the doctor? She was sometimes met in the morning not with a "hi!" but with a "I'm in Tess's room! She's sick!" Which was code for...hustle your buns up here so I can be less afraid.
I managed to talk Lindsay into playing games with me when she had free time. This is when I started calling her "Jan". As in, "Sure, Jan", which is what Marcia Brady always said to Jan Brady in a very condescending tone. That would be my tone when I said it to Lindsay when she pretended to not care if she was losing.
We will not be discussing my attitude IF I might have lost a game.
Having Lindsay come nearly every day when I lived in Scarborough made, what could have been a very lonely time for me, fun. When Lindsay got married you better believe Tess, Charlie and I were there with bells on to celebrate with her friends and family. And you can also trust and believe that Lindsay made sure the dj played one of Tessie's favorite songs and pulled her onto the floor for a dance.
If Sheila is like an older (though barely) sister, then Lindsay is like a younger one. And like Sheila, there are not enough, and at the same time too many, words to describe all the amazing things about Lindsay. She's fun, she's kind, she's smart, she's tough, she pretends she doesn't care about losing games but she really does, she's an artist, and she has a huge heart for people.
Moving Tess back home when covid hit was heartbreaking for many reasons, but the biggest was the loss of Lindsay and Sheila in her everyday life. And mine. Tess and I miss them both terribly.
So it's National Nurses Week and, while we haven't had any nursing care for Tess since we moved back home from Scarborough, I know both of these women would be here in a minute if I called them and said I needed them. Because that's just who they are. They're nurses. They're friends. They're family.
They're Sheila and Lindsay. And we love and appreciate them.
PS While this is primarily a post about two specific nurses, we have had the privilege of having so many excellent nurses care for Tess and we are grateful to all nurses everywhere. We see you! We appreciate you!
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