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The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps. She paid the driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the seats, walked down the aisle and found the seat he'd told her was empty. Then she settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her cane against her leg.

It had been a year since Susan, thirty-four, became blind. Due to a medical misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and she was suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and self-pity. Once a fiercely independent woman, Susan now felt condemned by this terrible twist of fate to become a powerless, helpless burden on everyone around her. "How could this have happened to me?" she would plead, her heart knotted with anger.

But no matter how much she cried or ranted or prayed, she knew the painful truth her sight was never going to return. A cloud of depression hung over Susan's once optimistic spirit. Just getting through each day was an exercise in frustration and exhaustion. And all she had to cling to was her husband Mark.

Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all of his heart. When she first lost her sight, he watched her sink into despair and was determined to help his wife gain the strength and confidence she needed to become independent again. Mark's military background had trained him well to deal with sensitive situations, and yet he knew this was the most difficult battle he would ever face.

Finally, Susan felt ready to return to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the bus, but was now too frightened to get around the city by herself. Mark volunteered to drive her to work each day, even though they worked at opposite ends of the city.

At first, this comforted Susan and fulfilled Mark's need to protect his sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the slightest task. Soon, however, Mark realized that this arrangement wasn't working - it was hectic, and costly. Susan is going to have to start taking the bus again, he admitted to himself. But just the thought of mentioning it to her made him cringe. She was still so fragile, so angry. How would she react?

Just as Mark predicted, Susan was horrified at the idea of taking the bus again. "I'm blind!" she responded bitterly. "How am I supposed to know where I'm going? I feel like you're abandoning me."

Mark's heart broke to hear these words, but he knew what had to be done. He promised Susan that each morning and evening he would ride the bus with her, for as long as it took, until she got the hang of it. And that is exactly what happened.

For two solid weeks, Mark, military uniform and all, accompanied Susan to and from work each day. He taught her how to rely on her other senses, specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt to her new environment. He helped her befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for her, and save her a seat. He made her laugh, even on those not-so-good days when she would trip exiting the bus, or drop her briefcase.

Each morning they made the journey together, and Mark would take a cab back to his office. Although this routine was even more costly and exhausting than the previous one, Mark knew it was only a matter of time before Susan would be able to ride the bus on her own. He believed in her, in the Susan he used to know before she'd lost her sight, who wasn't afraid of any challenge and who would never, ever quit.

Finally, Susan decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own. Monday morning arrived, and before she left, she threw her arms around Mark, her temporary bus riding companion, her husband, and her best friend.

Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his patience, his love. She said good-bye, and for the first time, they went their separate ways. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... Each day on her own went perfectly, and Susan had never felt better. She was doing it! She was going to work all by herself!

On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was paying for her fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I sure envy you." Susan wasn't sure if the driver was speaking to her or not. After all, who on earth would ever envy a blind woman who had struggled just to find the courage to live for the past year?

Curious, she asked the driver, "Why do you say that you envy me?" The driver responded, "It must feel so good to be taken care of and protected like you are." Susan had no idea what the driver was talking about, and asked again, "What do you mean?"

The driver answered, "You know, every morning for the past week, a fine looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the corner watching you when you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the street safely and he watches you until you enter your office building. Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You are one lucky lady."

Tears of happiness poured down Susan's cheeks. For although she couldn't physically see him, she had always felt Mark's presence. She was lucky, so lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than sight, a gift she didn't need to see to believe - the gift of love that can bring light where there had been darkness.

Author unknown

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Nurses' Station:"The idea for the Nurses' Station Catalog was conceived in 1989. After searching the marketplace in response to customer inquiries, it became obvious that there were no catalogs of this type serving the nursing profession. To be sure, there were several catalogs offering nurse's uniforms and a smattering of professional items. But there weren't any catalogs at the time offering a range of gifts, clothing, professional items, name badges, shoes and scrubs for nurses. It took two years of hard work to gather samples and put a together a catalog of the most unique and high-quality items for nurses."
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Nursing In The Media, truthaboutnursing.org

• ER:"Media products under your influence, particularly the NBC/Warner drama "ER," are harming the profession of 2.7 million American nurses by giving the public an inaccurate and inadequate account of what nurses really do to save and improve lives. Research suggests that "ER" strongly and negatively influences the way children view nursing. These products contribute to the nursing shortage, a public health crisis that threatens millions worldwide."
  http://www.truthaboutnursing.org/letters/er/

• House, MD:"The main patient in tonight's episode of Fox's House was a nurse who believed that a cat tended to sit with those who were about to die--including, recently, the nurse herself. That may not sound like a promising vehicle for House to improve its abysmal portrayal of nursing. But the show actually presents the nurse as someone with health knowledge. And her search for meaning in faith, for some reason in tragic events, is a real counterpoint to House's cold rationality. Indeed, despite the obvious potential for mockery in the cat angle, the mighty House treats the nurse with considerable respect--he seems to care what she thinks, or at least to find her views unnerving. Of course, the nurse plays no real clinical role in the episode, and no other nurses do either. So the episode suggests, as usual, that physicians provide all important care in hospital settings, including all meaningful psychosocial and physical care. Still, any suggestion that intelligent life resides in a nurse is a welcome departure for House (and for the episode's writer Peter Blake, who also penned a November 2005 House episode that was notable for its physician glorification and its casual contempt for other health professions). Tonight's episode, "Here Kitty," drew 13.1 million U.S. viewers. more... see the relevant film clips... and please join our letter writing campaign!"
  http://www.truthaboutnursing.org/letters/house/

• Private Practice:"ABC's Private Practice, whose season ends tomorrow, April 30, may be the only broadcast network show with a major nurse character to return next season. In the February 5 episode (Mike Ostrowski's "Acceptance," 13 million U.S. viewers), lone nurse character Dell Parker, who is studying to be a midwife, shows some tentative clinical aptitude and knowledge to go with his boyish eagerness. Under the close supervision of OB/GYN Addison Montgomery, Dell ably performs a vacuum-assisted delivery. Later he haltingly guides the baby's parents toward breastfeeding. Dell also performs an assured solo ultrasound of pregnant psychiatrist Violet Turner, calming her panic attack and eliciting her agreement to his own suggestion that, though he's "not a doctor," he will likely become a "pretty good midwife." The show still condescends to Dell, who is also the office manager/receptionist at the LA clinic where the show is set. In the March 26 episode (Craig Turk's "Do the Right Thing," 10.1 million U.S. viewers),"
  http://www.truthaboutnursing.org/letters/pp/

• "Scrubs" defines nursing:""Scrubs" defines nursing: it's all about shutting up and following physician "orders. " Tonight's episode of NBC's "Scrubs," which purports to teach nurse Carla Espinosa that nursing is all about doing what physicians tell you, is one of the most virulently anti-nurse prime time television episodes the Center has ever seen. more..."
  http://www.truthaboutnursing.org/news/2009/may/06_scrubs.html

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  Alphabetical Nursing Topic Discussion, Chat List

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  • Are good CNA jobs that hard to find?
  • Being A Male Nurse
  • Curtailing Workplace Gossip
  • Dealing With Confrontation In Nursing
  • Degree Vs Diploma
  • EKG Classes
  • First Year On The Floor
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  • Workplace Violence, Horizontal Violence Against Nurses
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  Commonly (Frequently) Used Drugs Medication Indexes:
  http://www.prescriptionforviagra.com

  • Ace Inhibitors (Hypertension)
  • AIDS/HIV Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, Human Immunodficiency Virus, Antiviral Agents
  • Anti Angiogenesis (Chemotherapy)
  • Antibiotics
  • Allergy Relief, Antihistamines, Decongestants, Sinus Congestion, Runny Nose, Prescription Drugs, Medications
  • Anti-Coagulants, Blood Thinners
  • Anti-depressants
  • Anxiety Medications
  • Appetite Enhancers, Appetite Stimulants, Appetite Stimulation
  • Antibiotics
  • Anticoagulants, Blood Thinners, Drug Therapy
  • Antiviral Agents, HIV, AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, Human Immunodficiency Virus
  • Appetite Control, Obesity, Weight Loss, Diet Pills
  • Appetite Supressants, Diet Pills, Weight Loss, Weight Control
  • Barbiturates, Hypnotics, Sedatives
  • Benzodiazepines
  • Birth Control Pills, Contraception, Drug & Medication Indexes
  • Blood Thinners, Anticoagulants, Drug Therapy
  • Calcium channel blockers
  • Chemo, Antineoplastics, Chemotherapy, Anticancer, Oncology, Prescription Drugs, Medications
  • Cardiac, Coronary, Heart Drugs, Medications
  • Cholesterol Lowering Drugs, Anti Hyper Lipidemics, Prescription Drugs, Medications
  • Contraception, Birth Control Pills, Drug & Medication Indexes
  • Controlled Substances, Narcotic Analgesics, Opiates, Opioids,
  • Convulsions, Convulsants, Epilepsy, Epileptics, Seizures
  • Diet Pills, Weight Loss, Obesity, Appetite Control
  • Fluoroquinolones (Antibiotics)
  • Gastrointestinal, GI, Ulcers, Heartburn, GERD, Indigestion Prevention Prescription Drugs, Medications
  • Hair Loss, Mens Health, Impotence, Obesity, Smoking Cessation
  • Hypnotics, Sedatives, Barbiturates
  • Impotence, Hair Loss, Mens Health, Obesity, Smoking Cessation
  • Laxatives, Physic, Cathartics
  • Mens Health, Hair Loss, Impotence, Obesity, Smoking Cessation
  • Muscle Relaxants, Centrally Acting
  • Narcotic Analgesics, Controlled Substances, Opiates, Opioids,
  • Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatories, NSAIDS
  • Obesity, Weight Loss, Appetite Control, Diet Pills
  • Opiates, Opioids, Controlled Substances, Narcotic Analgesics
  • Over The Counter (OTC) Medications
  • Pain Killers
  • Sedatives, Hypnotics, Barbiturates
  • Skeletal Muscle Relaxants, Centrally Acting
  • Steroids, Anabolic, Corticosteroids, Prednisone
  • Smoking Cessation, Impotence, Hair Loss, Mens Health, Obesity
  • Respiratory (Asthma, COPD, Emphysema, Pulmonary)
  • Weight Gain
  • Weight Loss, Obesity, Appetite Control, Diet Pills
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