Fernando

[asakiyume]

My dad had to have some surgery last week, so I've been staying with him. (He's recovering just fine--drove to the supermarket today--but he's 91, so I want to be sure he feels completely stable before I leave.)

When he was still in the hospital, we took walks around the unit, and we passed a bulletin board that had comments that people had left, thanking and praising the nurses, nurse assistants, and techs. These two for Fernando caught my eye:



[text: "Fernando is an asset to your work unit. He brings empathy, respect, humor to his profession of taking care of patients. He even can tell a good story or two."]



[text:"When I arrived, I was put into the wrong room. My helper (tech) was Fernando. We started talking & I told him Fernando the bull** was my favorite story. A day or so later, he actually came to see me. To say I [hi?] and how am I doing. That really made my day. Thank you Fernando for caring."]

When we continued our walk around the unit, we came to a bulletin board announcing that Fernando was the employee of the month. Well deserved, it seems.

**I suspect they mean The Story of Ferdinand (1936), by Munro Leaf.

Comments

[sovay]

(He's recovering just fine--drove to the supermarket today--but he's 91, so I want to be sure he feels completely stable before I leave.)

*hugs*

Please convey my swift healing wishes to him!

[asakiyume]

I most certainly will!

[wayfaringwordhack]

Hope your dad continues his swift healing.

We have The Story of Ferdinand, and I just love Robert Lawson's simple but oh-so-sophisticated linework. :)

Going to Madrid

Ferdinand arrives in Madrid

[asakiyume]

They really are gorgeous illustrations. I remember loving, as a kid, that corks grew on the cork tree ;-)

[wayfaringwordhack]

My kids get a kick out of that, too. :D

[mallorys_camera]

Very glad yr dad is doing well.

[asakiyume]

Me too! Very very.

[minoanmiss]

Good job, Fernando. Very good job.

[asakiyume]

A shining soul, truly.

And also: I like how these people capture that in such brief and unrehearsed thanks. "He can even tell a good story or two." How perfect is that?

[minoanmiss]

He's being good to people in their hour of real need, and it makes me so happy to hear that he's doing so and they in turn appreciate it. Perfect indeed.

[missroserose]

When I was in the hospital a year ago, my Things Are Stressful So It's Time To Make Friends approach was in full force. Most of the nurses were liked me immediately, though there was one who was a little harder to win over—he was one of the night nurses, and while he wasn't unfriendly and was certainly very competent, it was clear early on that he had already had it up to *here* with entitled white ladies giving him orders from hospital beds (I can't even blame him, my boyfriend is in nursing school and some of the stories he's told me from clinicals are jaw-dropping).

So I did my best to balance asking about/remembering his interests with being respectful of his time; by the third night he was, if not overtly friendly, measurably more relaxed. I'm probably most proud of the moment when Brian (who was, probably not coincidentally, there well past the technical end of visiting hours—he'd gotten stuck in traffic and only had half an hour by the time he arrived, but the nurse hadn't yet kicked him out) thanked him by name for his help, and he laughed a bit and said "I'm so impressed with y'all, you haven't messed up my name once." (He did have an unusual name but it wasn't that hard to remember, especially since you pronounced it like the first two syllables of "caduceus", literally the symbol for medicine.)

The next night was the one before my surgery, and I had a minor emotional breakdown when he informed me about a medication switch (not really over the medication, just, a lot of pent-up feelings over the relative helplessness of my situation). And he not only was sympathetic, but full-on told me a story from his past, and I felt ridiculously honored. You bet I left him a thank-you note.

[asakiyume]

Oh man. This story moves me so much. There's so much pain and kindness in it, all the way around. Thank you for sharing ♥

[yamamanama]

I remember Ferdinand the Bull.

Good luck to your father.

[asakiyume]

It's a memorable story!

And thanks ^_^

[teenybuffalo]

I'm glad your dad is doing better, and that he has you to look out for him in the process.

[asakiyume]

Thank you, me too <3

[queenoftheskies]

Glad to hear that your father is recovering well.

What a wonderful idea for people to be able to leave positive thoughts for those who cared for them.

[asakiyume]

Agreed re: the bulletin board (and thank you for the good wishes)