Family Memory (XXXVII): One-Stick Brigitte

Recently, one of the Dietz Foundation board members posted about a hospital stay–that it was the first time in his memory that the nurses were able to insert a needle into a vein on the first try–and that it was wonderful to not have them try 10-15 times or go looking for veins in weird places.

That made me think about Mom. I mean, I write about her regularly with these memories anyways and his story made me remember something about Mom I hadn’t thought about in a long time.

Mom had a pin given to her as a gift–and a nickname from her time as a nurse. She was known as ‘One Stick’ because no matter the frailty of a patient, no matter the status of the veins, she never needed to insert a needle twice. She was considered a savant in terms of IVs and injections. Seriously–25 years as a nurse, never a problem.

I’m here thinking about the skill and attention to detail that required…but really, I’m thinking more about the board member who deals with needles regularly–what sort of relief would it be for a patient to deal with a nurse you KNOW is going to nail it the first time, every time?

I don’t have that skill–don’t have that aptitude with what I’ve chosen to do in life…I don’t get my edits correct or my words right the first time I put them on screen or paper. I don’t get the Foundation business correct every time and I find that the longer I coach, the more I doubt myself and decisions I’ve made in the past–and how to make them in the future. I find it as something else for me to admire in my mom, something I hadn’t thought about in quite some time.

If you knew her–you understand. If you read this and didn’t know her, I hope you get a bit better understanding of who she was from this story and the link above.