Featured in Tuesday's Miami Herald Tropical Life section: Jackson Memorial Hospital registered nurse Norberto Molina Jr., a Jackson Real Hero.
Molina, a recovery room nurse and chairman of Jackson's lavender caucus, was one of several gay and lesbian hospital nurses who met with Janice Langbehn after her partner, Lisa Pond, died at Jackson in 2007.
From Jackson's website:
NORBERTO MOLINA Jr., RN
Registered Nurse
Jackson Memorial Hospital
Years at JHS: 17
Giving patients something to smile about
When patients come out of surgery and wake up in the recovery area, I am the first person they see. I help them come out of anesthesia, ease their fears and control their pain. I was once able to calm a young boy down who had cancer because we were able to relate to each other in a very small way. He happened to love my bald head because it looked like his. He would touch it and rub it and laugh. As the boy underwent radiation therapy at Holtz Children’s Hospital for the next three months, I kept in touch with him and his mother. I would stop by the treatment areas and visit him – and let him rub my bald head again. A few months later, while I was shopping at a store, I ran into the boy’s mother. She hugged me and told me that her son had passed away. She also told me how special I was to her son. I always feel that it’s important to try not to get too close to patients because they can have a significant emotional impact on you. But sometimes you can’t help it. You meet someone special and that patient really stays with you.
Comments