Being CF Nurse Pt 2: Sharon’s Story
Tiffany is a nurse and a supporter of the #4Eva Campaign. She wants to share her story, in hopes that it will inspire more people to get involved with the campaign.
My name is Tiffany Hamilton and I am a RN that had the opportunity to take care of patients with CF. One patient in particular is a girl name Sharon. She taught me to live like I was dying. Her courage and strength inspired me. She could always make me laugh: she invented a “chicken dance” that we did every night before she went to bed – she was a true character!
Sharon was the first CF patient I ever took care of. She taught me so much about CF and the importance of organ donation.
The year before she passed, she had to have a lung reduction to breathe easier. In January 2005, she got the call that they had lungs for her. She came in to get prepped and to have a chest CT.
Sadly, 20 minutes before they were about to begin, they had to cancel the surgery. The CT revealed that her heart had shifted to the right side of her chest. It was too risky. She was crushed, as were the staff and I. In March 2005, she came back into the hospital one final time.
That was the last time I got to have a conversation with her and promised to keep fighting for a cure. I visited her frequently in the ICU. When it came time to take her off the ventilator, her mother requested them to do it on the unit I worked on because we were family. Her memorial service and funeral were the hardest for me to do. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her.
Because of her, I continue to spread the word about CF and the importance of organ donation. I will continue to fight the fight for a cure for CF. Together we will find a cure! I owe that to Sharon and everyone else with CF!
Tiffany
