Ms Jessica Poh, 37, has seen her fair share
of deaths in her line.
She has
worked 17 years as a nurse manager in the oncology line, which is the study and
treatment of cancer.
"It
is not everybody's cup of tea. It can be depressing at times," she said.
While
she says in her line of career, she's experienced countless memorable moments
to date, one especially painful moment was when one of her patients passed away
right in front of her.
"My
colleagues and I decided to pay her a visit. Little did I know that, that was
her very last few minutes on earth," she recounted.
Everybody
was crying when they reached her room, including her colleagues. She said she
wanted to console the dying woman's fiancé, but couldn't make a move as she
knew that the moment she spoke, tears would start rolling.
"So
in the end, I stood by her fiancé, and watched her slowly pass on," she
said.
Weeks
later, she remembers the woman's fiancé coming back to the clinic to thank them
all for the care and support given. He gave each of them a fountain pen with
the patient's name engraved on it as a remembrance.
To her,
it's a calling
Florence
Nightingale mentioned that nursing is an art, she said.
"If
it is to be made an art , it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a
preparation, as any painter's or sculptor's work; for what is the having to do
with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living
body, the temple of God 'spirit?" she quoted.
While
to her, nursing is one of the finest of fine arts, it is more than that. It is
a calling, she said.
She
described nursing as a holistic, unique profession assigned to a special group
of individuals who possess the ability to heal the heart, mind, soul of
patients, families and sometimes, even of themselves.
When
younger, she used to always choose to act out the role of a nurse during role
play at school, and absorbed the words of teachers who taught them to always be
kind and helpful to others.
It was
during those formative years that her passion for nursing was born.
During
her early teen years, she was always in and out of clinics and hospitals due to
constant gastric pains.
"I
saw how the nurses nursed the patients back to health, giving medications and
drips.
"I
was fascinated by them, and curious about them. I guess, curiosity kills the
cat. That's how I ended in nursing," she said.
Not an
easy road
Although
the oncology profession is a difficult calling, she says she would not have
chosen any other route.
"Cancer
is a potentially terminal disease, and it can hit anyone at any stage of
life," she said, stressing that it can bring a person's spirits down.
"My
most challenging moments are when I know that my patients' days are numbered.
Making them and their loved ones accept things that cannot be changed is a real
challenge," she said.
But it
has its upsides too.
"Cancer
patients and their loved ones walk through various emotional struggles. Being
able to brave through those storms and raging seas makes me feel appreciative
to what life brings to me," she shared.
Not
only that, she said that seeing patients coming into the clinic cured, such as
previously wheelchair-bound patients walking into the clinic, gives her a
feeling of achievement.
"It
is indescribable," she said.
YourHealth,
AsiaOne
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