Nurses work long hours, see things most of us could only dream of and are often the unsung heroes of hospitals.
A photo of one North Texas nurse went viral this week after her sister shared it on Facebook. It's been shared more than 104,000 times, and it captures her in a hard moment in tears after working 53 hours in four days at Medical City McKinney.
She had just helped a mother deliver a stillborn baby.
"she's gonna kill me for this pic, but can we just give it up for nurses for a minute?," the Oct. 10 Facebook post from Laura McIntyre begins.
"caty just wrapped up her fourth shift in a row. that's around 53+ hours in four days. that's not including the 1.5 hours she's in the car each day. she usually doesn't get a chance to eat lunch or even drink much water. (& she has to dress like a blueberry.. i mean, come on). she is so good at what she does that she often forgets how to take care of herself while she's taking care of her patients.
"this pic is from a night back in july where she came to my house after a particularly hard day. she delivered a stillborn. have you guys ever really thought about what a labor & delivery nurse sees? they see great joy in smooth deliveries & healthy moms & babies. they see panic & anxiety when a new mom is scared. they see fear when a stat c-section is called. they see peace when the mom has support from her family - bc not all new moms do. they see teenagers giving birth. they see an addicted mom give birth to a baby who is withdrawing. they see cps come. they see funeral homes come. did you know that they have to make arrangements for the funeral home to come pick up the baby? i didn't either.
"caty (& all other nurses) - you are SPECIAL. you bless your patients & their families more than you will ever know. thank you for all that you do. 💛✨"
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