Obviously, I’ve had better days than that in my career, but that was a day that gave me hope and helped me not give up my career due to one bad school." —u/talibob She had been through hell — skin grafts, rehabilitation, depression — but against the odds, she had survived. She also immediately recognized me as the one who said, ‘I’m going to give you something to make you sleep,’ but she remembered it more favorably than I did. It was easily the happiest day of my entire career so far, and I’ve been practicing for, give or take, 11 years now." —u/blueginpinktonic I called work to tell them what was going on and asked them to cancel the rest of my day. My supervisor had the fucking nerve to tell me not to get too invested, because I know that it’s likely she’ll just go back. I hung up on her. I had no idea, but a coworker overheard this and went to our director. Meanwhile, I sat in the ER with Z and made plans for her future — what she wanted for dinner, what color blanket she would want for her new room, what her dream vacation would be. I held her hand while they did the rape kit. Throughout the day, I’d been calling and working with a DV shelter. They picked her up from the hospital and promised me they had clothes and bedding for her. I went home and cried and cried. The next day, I was ready to escalate to my director but found out she already knew. She had flowers and apologies for me. My supervisor gave me a full apology as well. Z never went back. I ran into her, her very nice husband, and adorable son about 10 years after. She had gotten her GED. She was working on her BA. She was safe. On my very bad, no good days, when I am just destroyed, I remember that day. I was young, and it was so hard, and she was so hurt and broken. We kept going, together. It mattered. And just to say: It would have mattered terribly and been entirely worth it even if she had gone back that very day. To be with her and support her as she did one of the hardest things a person can do — telling her in the face of her fear and (undeserved) shame — that was a privilege. I don’t want anyone to think that they somehow wouldn’t be worth this and a million times more if they couldn’t leave." —u/2beagles I immediately had chills come over me and debated whether it was inappropriate, but I ultimately went ahead and asked her, ‘Did you, by any chance, lose a baby boy at this hospital on X date?’ She said, ‘Yes,’ so I told her that I was the resident who first examined her, and we talked about her traumatic experience. She teared up and told me that after that happened, she couldn’t fathom getting pregnant or even setting foot in the maternity ward ever again. Eventually, she said she and her husband came to the realization that they were ready to consider adoption and listed themselves on a North American registry. One day, she got a call saying that there was a severely premature newborn available some 3,000 miles away. The baby had been abandoned at a fire station. She said that they didn’t think twice and booked the flight. They went through the adoption process, and the baby is now thriving, developing well, and cared for by a loving family. She said that she felt like she and this baby were meant to find each other after both traveling extremely difficult paths. It was probably the most heartwarming story I’ve ever come across. It was so relieving to hear that this woman (and the baby) found their happy endings. So, I would say that was my best day on the job." —u/jochi1543 There are days we see someone for the last time, and sometimes we never find out. Then, there are days when things go well, and people remember the kindness they received instead of their fear." —u/ironmaven The kid was super stoked, but more than that, his parents could not thank me enough for taking the time and care to do something like that for the son. Best day of work ever. I also let him keep the cable I made so that no matter which theater he went to, he could plug right in." —u/shavemejesus The visit consisted of standard chaplain stuff, and I regularly work with all kinds of people and families who are grappling with the reality of death and how they will handle it. But for me, hearing the story of a life lived well and shared well, and helping that man both hold onto her and let go of her…that was a good day." —u/Radnortuws
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger as a result of domestic violence, call 911. For anonymous, confidential help, you can call the 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or chat with an advocate via the website.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE, which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.
