Holy Water in a Water Bottle

The nursing profession is one of compassion, love, and caring. We are compassionate for our patients who come to us in dire need of focused care. We love (at least in the beginning) the twelve hours, sometimes thirteen, on our feet providing medication, answering questions, and charting. We care for the new ones being bought into this world, care for those leaving this world, and care for the people that are left behind. In this constant hustle, there comes a slice of a moment where someone turns around and cares for the tired nurse in stained scrubs. 

 

As an Ismaili Muslim, born in Karachi, and raised in the suburbs of Alabama, my faith has reflected directly in my patient care. Mawlana Hazar Imam has stated that we should participate in the community we live in; this made me want to be an active leader in nursing school. He encouraged us to achieve the best education so we could give back to the community. The Imam leads by example, serving those who are in need and working with the impoverished, regardless of religion, to improve their quality of life and this is what I incorporate into the care of my patients. People in the hospital are there because something is wrong with their health. A nurse has the capacity to make a difference by enhancing their quality of life. 

 

It has been five months since my graduation, before which my focus was to pass the NCLEX (the nursing practice entrance examination) and have a job lined up. But this story is about something else; it is about faith, trust, and minimal pixie dust. 

 

Prior to graduation, I had two interviews, both on the same day; one happened to be in the unit in which I was completing my senior practicum. The day before the interview, I  was taking care of a young female who had a liver biopsy, and her mother was at her bedside. As nurses, our job is to care for our patients and their families in a way that is more than just providing medications and monitoring their condition; we tend to form a connection with the people we care for. I have had my fair share of sweet and funny patients before but this duo went above and beyond the expected. They touched me in a way that was so simple, and yet I know my words will not do their actions justice. 

 

My nurse mentor was talking to the patient about me and the topic of my future job opportunities arose. The mother verified my smarts and told me how she had faith I would get both the jobs. But then she said she would pray for me. This is often said at such times, but in that moment, I was amazed. 

 

The mother told me to come by the next day before my interview so she could wish me luck, and I promised I would. Even my nurse mentor had texted me, reminding me to drop by because they had asked for me. This mother, with her young daughter in the hospital, was thinking about me, a virtual stranger.  Entering the room, I expected the usual and casual “good luck,” but the mother and daughter fawned over me. The details in my dress, my shoes, and the files in hand---they missed nothing. 

 

Now for the pixie dust---the daughter said they had mentioned me, by name, in their prayers the night before. The mother then pulled me aside, saying. “I’d like to do something, if you do not mind.” Dumb-founded that two strangers, who I had only known for twelve hours, had taken the time out for me, I nodded. She pulled a water bottle out from her purse, about half filled. It was holy water that she went home to fetch for me. She asked, “Can I bless you with it?” I could barely reply before she asked if I was Catholic. My heart froze for a second, thinking she would stop right there. She did not care, “I’m going to bless you anyways, because God is God,” she said and asked me to bow my head. She said a prayer over me and sprinkled the holy water over my head. “I’ve prayed and everything will be good now."

 

Trust is such a simple thing to pass on, and a lot of times with the pathophysiology and medicine, easily forgotten. In that moment she reminded me that we are all humans and caring can come from patients too. She showed me the same compassion I had seen over the years, growing up in the Jamat, listening to all the wonderful things our Imam does. She had seen someone in need and acted accordingly to the best of her ability. A nurse will deal with so much on a daily basis and sometimes forget her own health while caring  for others. Yet, it takes mere seconds for others to impact your life. As it did here, as they made me feel I had been a worthy nurse. 

 

So what happened? I received offers from both hospitals! I cannot remember what the patient or her mother looks like, their names, or what the results of the biopsy were, but the feeling of that special moment, when faith was all that mattered, will forever. And for that, I am thankful.