“To the heroes small and tall, who teach us that no matter how short or how long, the arc of each life is precious and perfect.” – Jo Auger
Introducing my new book… It is my lived/worked pediatric palliative care nursing experience, the result of many years of caring for beautiful families hoping and coping through the shadows of serious illness.
My nursing notes will help the reader chart the journey through the landscape of the sick and weary. The chapters, or guideposts, help map the way for caregivers, professional nurse or nurse by calling:
Guidepost 1: Finding Strength and Courage in the Shadows of Illness
Guidepost 2: Nursing Notes on Finding Your Way in the First Difficult Days After Diagnosis
Guidepost 3: Nursing Notes on Building Your Medical Team
Guidepost 4: Nursing Notes to Help You Think Through Your Treatment Goals of Care
Guidepost 5: Nursing Notes on Gentling the Illness Journey… Managing Symptoms
Guidepost 6: Nursing Notes on Sacred Spaces, Creating Memories, and Finding Solace
Guidepost 7: Nursing Notes on the Last Work of the Body
Guidepost 8: Nursing Notes on Celebrating, Remembering, and Mourning a Life Well-Loved
Guidepost 9: Taking Care of You, the Last Responders
The chapters include many links to further enrich caregiving resources and knowledge. Between the guideposts, I offer the reader resting places to pause and reflect. These are the stories of my hero-patients, lessons that have shaped my practice and my understanding of what it means to walk through this world humbled, hopeful, and grace-full.
The last section of the book is titled, Reflections… a curated list of practices, poems and podcasts, books and web sites to help you hope and cope with the caregiving journey and the beauty and brevity of lifetimes. Please share your thoughts with me by leaving a comment in my “huddle” section!
The Art & Science of Nursing… February 2024
Nursing is a work of heart… it is science & art. biology & so many caring stories of grit and grace. I’ve been thinking deeply about our nursing narratives. Writing and releasing my book, A Nightingale’s Song…Nursing Notes to Gentle the Journey Through Serious Illness, created such a reflective, meaning-filled, healing chapter in my life…
Rising Up to Meet the Ethical Challenges in Nursing Practice Today
“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” -Theodore Roosevelt As a pediatric palliative care nurse, I work hard at work worth doing, caring for little ones fighting big battles and those who love them. There is a bioethical compass integral to the practice…
We can’t always cure, but we can always care.
“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” -Theodore Roosevelt As a pediatric palliative care nurse, I work hard at work worth doing, caring for little ones fighting big battles and those who love them. There is a bioethical compass integral to the practice…
Nightingale Notes 
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