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I can honestly say I personally know someone who embodies the true spirit of nursing. Her name is Teresa Richardson, RN, she works at Randolph Hospital, Asheboro, NC, and she has to be the strongest woman that I have ever met.
I met Teresa about a year and a half ago while I was working as a CNA at our local hospital. About 2 years ago, her husband Dwaine was hit by a train in Biscoe, NC. At the time, Teresa had two small children, one who was only about 6 months old. Since that horrible day 2 years ago, Teresa has truly been an RN 24/7. From Day 1, Teresa has never lost hope and has relied on God to help her through this tough time.
A little over a year ago, I began watching Dwaine for Teresa every other Sunday. It was not until then that I realized, vaguely, how challenging Teresa's life was. I say vaguely because I was watching Dwaine for about 13 or 14 hours on Sundays. I did not have two children to tend to as well, and I could not, and still cannot, realize how she does it.
Teresa sacrifices her life every day to take care of her family. Not only does she take care of her husband, who is considered total-care, and make sure he gets the best care possible, but she also does everything in her power to make sure her two little girls have the most "normal" life they can.
In addition, Teresa still works part-time flex (which means she can flex up to full-time) at the hospital as a nursing supervisor. She also works on our med/surg unit 2 days a week to give those nurses some relief. She always is there to listen as well, and not once have I ever heard her complain or talk about how tired she is, and I know that she has to be exhausted.
Teresa has taught me no matter what happens, you should keep your head up and make the best of a situation. Not only is Teresa a good friend of mine, she also is my role model.
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