I was a nurse at the time, employed in a small Saudi Arabian town. There was only a Male Ward and a Female Ward in the tiny hospital. An operating room and an accident and emergency department were also present.
Since there were so many car accidents, there were a lot of long-term patients when I worked in the male ward. Unfortunately, many were paralyzed and required total care. After that, patients frequently returned home to receive care from their families.
We had a man who had allegedly been “cared for” at home after becoming paralyzed in a car accident. He had obviously not been taken care of. There was hardly an inch of his skeleton body that had unbroken skin; instead, it was covered in deep pressure sores. He was carried in, screaming in anguish, and it was one of the worst things I’d ever seen. Even the rug he had been lying on had begun to encroach against his posterior.
The scent was awful, and he was in excruciating pain. I was committed to helping this man, who was extremely ill. We decided on his pain management and got to work cleaning, packing, and dressing his injuries. I was given this assignment to complete, and it took me hours and hours each day for months upon months. Even though there was a linguistic barrier, it made no difference. Compassion and kindness don’t require words. We became friends as a result of his confidence in me and my resolve. He began to smile as his wounds very slowly began to heal. He said such sweet things to me that I started crying. The doctors who spoke Arabic would translate for us..
He continued to be a long-term patient, and it was difficult to bid him farewell when I had to leave to return to the UK. Even though it was 22 years ago, I’ll always remember him.
Edit….
I appreciate the upvotes and lovely messages so much. I’m deeply moved.
I have some old pictures to show you. It was a very nice and memorable experience when the patient’s family invited me to have tea with them. Thank you once more
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