The Heart of a Hospice Nurse-guest blog by Gabrielle Jimenez of The Hospice Heart
- Jan 5, 2020
- 3 min read
Our guest writer today is our hospice colleague Gabrielle Jimenez. She’s a hospice nurse, author, and blog writer dedicated to sharing the wisdom she’s gained through working with the dying. You can find her blog and books at thehospiceheart.net.
Death Through My Eyes
When I started working on my second book I went down memory lane and I saw how as a young child the hospice path was calling me. When I was eight years old, I experienced my first death. A man crashed his motorcycle into the tree outside my house. I sat down next to him, I gently placed his head in my lap and I comforted him until he died. I had no fear, his death didn’t scare me, but I remember clearly that what I was worried about most was that he was going to die alone. I don’t know how I knew what to do; in fact, I had forgotten this experience until recently. Memory lane also took me back to the death of my parents, of which I was present, but not fully. I have regrets. If only I knew then what I know now, what a different experience that might have been for me, and quite possibly for them as well.
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez, thehospiceheart.net
Working in hospice has given me a new appreciation for how beautiful life can be. I want to share my experiences with everyone, but not everyone is as comfortable talking about it as I am. I find myself defending death, hoping to change the mindset and remove the fear that is associated with it. I feel compelled to help others see the kind and compassionate side of death that I see. The more we talk about death, and the more we share our wants and wishes with those we love, the better prepared we will be. The bedside should be the place we share our love and not stress over paperwork and funeral plans. Unfortunately I see that often. I want to help change that.
Working in hospice is not easy and I too have difficult days. Sometimes there is anger instead of sadness, sometimes people are dying alone, sometimes the dynamics are painful and I struggle to find a way to calm things. No situation is ever the same, and there is no right or wrong way to die. The best thing I can do is provide comfort and support to all involved and hope that when the last breaths are taken, those left behind can find peace.
In order to feel the ache and pain of losing someone, you have to feel deep love for them, and that is what I get to see. Death reminds us how fragile life is, and how important it is to make memories and live a full and beautiful life, so that when you die, you leave behind people who feel lucky to have been loved by you.
My hope is that after reading this, you can see death through my eyes and that you find it a little less scary. I hope that you embrace every moment of your life and live it fully. I see a lot of death, but I also see love, faith, compassion and kindness… and I see life.
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez, author of “Soft Landing” and “The Hospice Heart” (available on Amazon) www.thehospiceheart.net
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