Unforgotten


Chapter One:


It was May 12, 2023 and it was my first year out of Lenoir Rhyne University and I was off to start working at Childrens Levine Hospital. I knew that I wasn’t going to save everybody, but I would try my hardest.

My mentor Rylan Gray showed me around all through the hospital. Then after we did a tour she assigned me my “rooms,” and the children I was assisting. I was assigned 3 children/rooms to start with, and all had something different wrong with them.

The first child I met was named Lilly. She was recently in a car wreck and lost a leg. She was only 12, but had so much hope for herself, and in every child around her. I introduced myself and she just smiled. She had a white-erase board on the wall directly across from her bed. I grabbed a pink marker and wrote my name, Nurse Ginni. She complimented my name saying how she loved it! I asked her mom if I could talk to her in the hallway for contact information and to inform her when she would need to eat, and when I will stop by to giver her medicine. About 15 Minutes later I told Lilly I would be back in about 2 Hours to bring her, the pain medicine she needs and lunch.
I met my next patient, Clinton, his twin brother Bruce was in there with him. Clinton had a tumor on his back, and he slowly has started to bleed internally. Nobody really has hope in him, except his brother, Bruce. I had to pay more attention to him because if anything goes wrong, it’s all downhill from there. I did have to talk to his parents and tell him, that Clinton needs all the support he can get, because every little hope somebody had in him that will make him want to fight even stronger. When I was there I had to give Clinton his shots, and had to get him to drink some fluids. I told him, I would be back in about 35 minutes to help him get dressed and take him down to the playroom. And then I left to meet my very last child.
When I walked into room 216 it felt like I was slapped in the face with joy. This girls name was Deaja and it felt like I had a connection with her. Once I walked in I noticed an United States Women's National Soccer Team poster that had been AUTOGRAPHED above her bed, also on her bedside table there was an action shot of her kicking the soccer ball. Wow, I would have never thought she would have reminded me so much of myself! I told her that I too use to play soccer and we just sat and talked for a little bit. Once I got back on topic I checked my files and read a sad story. She had a really bad accident while playing soccer. She went up to head the ball and a girl pushed her down. The way she landed she fell on her spine a really bad way, which has caused her to have bad spinal cord damage and made her also bleed internally. When your back gives out the ways hers did, that is not a good sign, it also doesn’t help that she is bleeding internally really bad. Like Clinton, if she moves too much, that could be really costly. Especially knowing that the damaged spinal cord is barely attached to her brain. I just pray I can help her, because she is relying on me.






Chapter Two:



Days went by and Lilly was healing well. She needed about 57 stitches in her leg. She also has some cuts and bruises on her face but nothing severe happened to her. I am trying to get her up and walking with crutches but its hard for her. She told me when she got better she wanted to get a prostate leg. I told her she has all the time in the world to decide that. I came back about 30 minutes later and brought her bacon, eggs, and toast for breakfast. She took her pain medicine and her prescribed medicine. I took her down to the “hangout room,” and she played with other kids for about 1 hour, her leg became sour so i took her back to her room for an afternoon nap.

I stopped by Clinton’s room and he was hurting really bad. I gave him some shots, and I gave him about 3 pills he needed to take, I turned the television on for him, and gave him the remote. He turned to Disney Channel and quietly fell back to sleep. Poor boy, only 7 years and is fighting for his life. I just wish there was a way to help with this. I mean he can get all the medicine he can take but that won’t take the tumor away. He starts chemo in about a week and that is really going to make him weak. I walked out of the room trying not to think about that, because he needs all the support he can get.

Deaja was still asleep once I got into her room. I gently woke her up, but it startled her. She looked at me and started crying, I asked her what was wrong and she said, “ I had a dream, I was out on the field about to score, but then a monster just came and took me away. I didn’t get to finish the dream, but it made me think, will I ever get back on the soccer field?” I looked at her teary eyed. I told her she would be ok. I checked her vitals and pushed her in a wheelchair to the X-ray room. I took two different pictures of her spine from two different angles. Something looked wrong. It seemed like her spinal cord was less attached to her brain. I told her something isn’t right but don’t worry, so I got James, the person who worked in the X-ray room and he chatted to her and told her what was going on. She looked depressed, but then she smiled. I was confused when I first say her smile, but I returned one. I took her back to her room and brought her lunch. I asked her if she had any questions. She shook her head no and turned the television on. I said, “OK, I will be back in about an hour,” and left.

I stopped by each room about 3 times before it was time for me to leave and head home to my own family. I said my goodbyes and went to the employee parking lot and started my navy blue Honda Civic. Once I got home my husband was asleep and our dog Bailey, who is a boxer, met me at the door with a sloppy wet kiss, and then I headed to bed, I relaxed knowing I didn’t have to work for the next two days, and just prayed that Deaja, Lilly, and Clinton would be ok.

Today I woke up having the day off with my husband. We went to eat at Mcalister's Deli and just watched some movies. That night I went shopping with my best friend Carmen.It was about 9:14 when I got home and just fixed me a late night snack and headed to bed. I did my prayers and turned the TV on, the USWNST was playing and it made me think of Deaja. I wondered if she was doing ok? I thought if I should call her… I debated for about five minutes and finally decided too.

She finally answered after about 4 rings and we just talked, like she was my own child. She said she felt the best she has ever felt in a long time! I was relieved to hear that and said goodnight. I was so glad to hear that, and i soon fell asleep.

I woke up to a sudden phone call. It was Rylan, my mentor. I answered and all she told me was to get over here ASAP. I grabbed my purple scrubs, and threw them on me. I grabbed a coke and yogurt out of the fridge, I knew I had to hurry, even though it was only a 15 minute commute. I met Rylan at the door and she told me it was Deaja. I sprinted up to the surgery room and there she was, she looked lifeless. They were five minutes into the surgery, but they were trying to save her. It happened, her spinal cord detached from her brain, and it was only a matter of time they had. I grabbed her hand and started to cry. She was like me, athletic, amazing, smart, and had hope. I had to leave because I wasn’t qualified to do surgery, but I was ready for her when she got out. I had the “breathing mask,” ready and the gurney. I prayed she would be ok.

30 minutes went by like a year. They called me in the room, at 11:58 pm, and informed me that she passed away. Wow. A happy 14 year old girl, taken from this world. I just cryed and cryed. The hardest thing for me was pulling the white hospital sheet over her head, before I did I kissed her forehead, so she will never forget me and I will never forget her. This was my first child I lost, while working here. I told told her parents in the waiting room and they just fell together in the floor, crying. But, then they thanked me. What? You just lost your daughter, and you are thanking me? I asked them why they thanked me they said, “We thank you because she looked up to you. She said you helped her, and the only person who gave her hope, and she said, if she died she wanted us to know that you did everything you could to help her.” That is where I lost it, I told them no, she was my role model. Someone that young and had so much hope for herself.

It was about 12:32 am, and I made my way back to her room. I took her belongings and gave them to her mom. She said thank you, and left. I headed back in the room and cleaned it up. I bought new sheets in the room, and tidied the place up. When I was finished I made my way to my Honda, but before I started it I just looked up and said to myself and said, “I pray whoever I have next has the same amount of hope as Deaja, she will never be forgotten in my heart.