Petal

It was date day...the term we affectionately call our trips to Jon's doctors.  I drove to the city while Jon slept and drove home while he slept...keeps me from having to share the radio!  In between, saw his hero, Dr. Gutin, who seemed very pleased with the surgery and how Jon is doing.  We also saw Petal, his nurse, who gently removed 46 staples and several stitches from Jon's head.  She is new to us, joining Dr. Gutin after Patsy, his previous nurse, retired.  We loved Patsy.  She was kind, gentle, honest and thorough.  Petal is similar.  She was a nurse on the 7th floor for four years, Jon's post-surgical home after both surgeries.  We talked fondly about the other nurses (especially Lisa and Mary Ann) and staff we encountered.  We also chatted about her decision to switch positions to join Dr. Gutin and her enjoyment of following patients for a longer period.  Before we hugged good-bye (she's a hugger) we had one question for Petal, " How do you do this job everyday knowing that some cases are hopeless."  Her answer was simple, "We do it for you."  It was one of those heart in my throat moments.  We could only say thank you.  Thank you for showing up.  Thank you for sharing your skill.  Thank you for doing it for us.