No Thanks Required
One Kind Act, Small Acts of Kindness, random acts of kindness | no comments yet
Grandpa John was very ill, and we all silently knew his time with us was very short. He was always vibrant, active, loving and proud. He was the pied-piper that 12 grandkids followed around getting into mischief and good times. Yet, here it was, Christmas Eve and grandpa was lying in a hospital bed needing help to move and to complete basic life activities. As we kept company with him we did all we could in our thoughts, words and actions to keep hope alive as we kept him company and spoke with him. While his body may have been frail, his mind was still sharp and his voice still booming if he took a long enough breath. He would insist on having things in the room in good order and to have his shaver handy since he always wanted to be neat and fresh.
Arrangements had been made to move grandpa from the hospital bed over to the long-term care unit. Any additional efforts to help improve his condition would have very limited impact. Hospital orderlies and a nurse were being organized to move grandpa from one building to the other building. During this waiting period, grandpa was unable to go the bathroom on his own and soiled himself. He discretely advised grandma. My sister who is a nurse advised grandma she would go and get assistance from the staff. Though my sister advised us this was a common occurrence in this type of situation, we were concerned on how grandpa would feel and deal with this situation in a very public place.
Several minutes later, Nurse John entered the room and discretely asked people to move into the hallway. He quickly pulled the curtain and asked grandpa how he was doing today. A short conversation quickly put grandpa at ease. Nurse John quietly talked to grandpa to ensure him this situation happens all the time. As he began to help grandpa freshen-up he insisted it was no big deal. A feeling of warmth and love overcame me. Here was a stranger we never met helping grandpa in a very personal situation. I was very much appreciative of the respect and dignity he demonstrated towards my father.
Grandma must have felt the same way because as Nurse John was leaving she grabbed him to the side. She expressed her gratitude. She found out he was in the Navy for 20 years. After he retired he decided to become a nurse. After the short conversation grandma began to insist that he tell her how she could demonstrate her appreciation for his very kind and respectful attitude. At this point, Nurse John strongly insisted that what he did was a normal part of his job. As he was leaving, he turned around one last time and said to my mother “No thanks is required, this is what I do”.
To this day, I still wonder if Nurse John realizes how his one act of kindness helped shed some light into the sad hearts of Grandpa John’s family that day.
Tim Feeley
Brooklyn, NY