Tribute to a Dear Friend

I lost a patient this week. She was really much more than a patient. Her name was Irene. She was the only woman I have ever met from her generation that was a U.S. Marine, which in itself speaks volumes of what kind of a woman she was.

Irene came to us a few years ago, after losing her independence to a debilitating illness. She never complained, and never would take a pain pill, even though she was in obvious pain at times, probably much more often than we were aware. She was so stoic, and would always say she was fine, and always had a smile to offer. When she was fitted with a special wheelchair, early in her stay with us, it opened the door for her to regain some of her independence, and that changed not only her life, but ours.

While many people in her condition would have complained about all that they had lost, Irene was a joy! She became president of our facility's resident council, and she took her job very seriously. She openly welcomed newcommers to our facility, and she did everything she could to facilitate meeting each patient's needs. She would bring up issues large or small that needed to be changed, and actively helped to solve the issues, so that our facility could provide everyone the very best care possible. She was a friend to all, and an advocate for those who could not voice thier needs.

She also took care of the nurses and C.N.A.'s. She would make sure our supplies were well-stocked, asking us frequently if there was anything we needed, then going to the office to get them, and delivering them on the back of her electric wheelchair. She would make sure that some of us who tend to work too much would take time to take a break and would remind us to eat when we tried to work through lunch.

More than that, she was everyone's mother. She had 2 amazing children of her own, and grandchildren, too, that she was very proud of. But she was quick to advise and nurture the rest of us, too. We could always count on her for loving counsel, a listening ear, and care and nurturing (even from those of us who were supposed to be nurturing her!) And when the state surveyors would come into our building to inspect us and perhaps find something wrong, Irene was there as an ever-protective mother hen, letting those surveyors know just who they were dealing with, and no one was going to mess with her "family"!

There is not a person in our facility that was not touched in a major way by this amazing woman. It was a shock to all of us to see her leave us so suddenly. But I am amazed at the grace of God, who was merciful in taking her quickly and painlessly, which is the way I know she would have wanted it. In fact, I am certain that this is exactly what she ordered! I know that God loves her so much more than we can imagine, so he was willing to grant her such a quick transition.

In my experience, it seems that we go through so many emotions when we lose a loved one. Most of all, we are caught up with anger and confusion. When we hear of the death of a "bad" person, we feel a sense of justice. But when someone so "good" passes away, we can't understand it. That's why we have the saying that "only the good die young". But God knows a whole lot more about death and what comes next than we can imagine. I know that Irene loved God, and that means that we will be together again soon. And I can't wait to see her again, with our new glorious bodies, unlike anything we now know, where there is no sickness or pain, where everything is new and perfect. I can't wait to see Irene run through the fields on her new, pain-free legs, or soar through the air, or do whatever it is that we will do then, with an even more abundant joy than we shared together in this life. Until then, Irene, you will be sorely missed.