Friends

I am currently saddend by a friend who is strickened with transverse myelitis....first of all I have known her for 18 years...we have been through a lot...first met at a job that was new to both of us...we were both clinical nurse specialist. I was a Med surg clin spec and she oncology clin spec...I looked up to her beacuse she was in the role a lot longer than I was...she taught me a lot...we faced many challenges together at the hospital we worked for ...however we and the other clin specs raised the bar of nursing practices as well...this was done with many challenging forces both staff nurse and administration...in the long run...the challenges got us all ..and more or less chased us out of the institution...we all went back to be Nurse Practitioners..I was the last. My friend was one of the first...again she helped me with this new role as acting as a preceptor and a great supporter in my new role...our lives have changed an million times and our personnel challenges, along with our professional challenges never broke us apart..instead we grew closer and closer together...this new challenge for my friend has give us another challenge to face....not with our friendship..but how to help her make her better and get back into the mainstream of her life and career...currently she is paralyzed from the waist down..she has faced many of relapses and has tried to stay positive ..but this isn't always easy...she is now on the other size and is the patient...facing the many challenges of knowing what it is right and not right when it comes to providing the better of health care...I think this is the most frustrating thing for her....she has seen good and bad care and becomes very discouraged..but yet has enough will in her to know what she wants and verbalizes that as well....she has been in rehab for over a month...faced with a relapse during this time and has said enough is enough....she is going home and doing it her way...she has been stricken with over 3 UTI's during her rehab stay (needing to be straight cathed) and know that at home she won't be exposed to the multiple care providers and potential for bacteria with cathing...she is going home and paying out of pocket for her own rehab therapist....I am going to do my best to help with her wishes and see she gets better and back to walking again...if you are reading this and have any faith in God...please pray for her...thank you.