Hospitals are scary places to be even for adults, so imagine how terrifying they are for little kids.
Shade Thompson is a 5 year-old boy who had to undergo two surgeries in quick succession. His mother Layla explained that Shade was having trouble walking, only taking steps with his toes rather than with his feet. Doctors at UPMC Susquehanna Health in Williamsport, Pennsylvania took good care of Shade, but after his surgery, he had to be in a wheelchair for two months.
“He’s been through a lot this last year,” Layla said. “We had been in the children’s hospital, so we were kind of nervous just going to a hospital to have it done.”
When Shade finally recovered, he had to have a second surgery that involved doctors cauterizing his tonsils, adenoids and both sides of his nose. Thankfully, the surgery was a huge success, but things took a turn for the worse when Shade woke up from anesthesia and realized he was in the hospital alone without his mom.
“Kids don’t typically come out of anesthesia very happy,” said Annie Hager, Slade’s nurse.
Realizing his mom wasn’t there, Slade got scared and began to cry. Thankfully, his devoted nurse Annie was on the scene, and she ran over to comfort him by letting the boy know that his family was outside waiting for him.
“When I told him mom couldn’t be there, he asked if I would snuggle him and I said, ‘sure will,’” Annie said.
Eager to see her son, Layla ran into the room, and she was touched to see Annie hugging him. She snapped a photo of the pair, and it quickly went viral after being posted on social media.
“You want someone to treat your child the way you would treat them,” Layla said.
“This little guy touched my heart, and his mama’s beautiful kind words and actions have brought tears to my eyes twice now!” Annie posted on Instagram. “This right here is why I LOVE my job.”
“As a nurse, providing care is one thing, but making sure our patients are calm and comfortable matters just as much,” UPMC posted on Facebook. “It’s nurses like Annie — who show true compassion — that keep our patients happy.”
God bless ALL our nation’s nurses who go above and beyond to help their patients every day!
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.