Blessed are the nurses who make us whole again, day and night;
the nurses who come with a smile and a laugh,
the nurses who read the fears behind our brave fronts,
the nurses who held our hands through the bone marrow biopsies.

Blessed are the nurses who ran downstairs to get our platelets and blood
or across the hospital grounds to deliver a culture,
the nurses who answer our calls even if they weren’t assigned,
those who took time with an injection and place the thermometer gently in our mouths.

Blessed are the nurses who credit us with intelligence,
who call their colleagues to attention, and those who tell us the gritty truth when we need it.

Blessed are the nurses who drop in just to say hello,
who turned a blind eye as I snuck a fridge into my room,
who danced salsa and meringue with me in the wee hours of the night,
and the nurses who asked the same repetitive questions at every watch,
for it made me feel secure.

Blessed are those who allay our fears, give us hope and nurse us through this nightmare.

This letter was written to Carol Burnett, Head Nurse, 7 Medical, Oncology and Haematology, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Canada and is dedicated to oncology nurses everywhere.

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