Warm and Fuzzy like Fozzy Bear

I'm not sure what everyone else's work environment is like, but mine makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside around the holidays. For most people who interact with me on a regular basis, you probably know that I'm not the biggest fan of my job. It's not that I'm not committed to the world of dialysis, but sometimes, the unnecessary pushing around of paperwork and corporate hurdles are too much for me to handle. In addition, I just don't care about valves, pumps, and the other mechanical workings of the machine. Maybe it's all the estrogen inside of me, but the parts of work I like are when I interact with the patients and learn about their lives.

For every single patient that has ever called me early on a Saturday morning or has yelled at me at 5 am, the holidays are the one time of the year when it's all worth it. Nothing makes me feel warmer and fuzzier inside than a holiday card from a patient or a nice email that thanks me for all the hard work that I do all year long. Or a note telling me how much my work impacts their daily lives. How they no longer have to drive miles to get their dialysis treatments or how they're able to go out with their friends again and take control of their lives. When I get those notes, it makes me realize why I put in 10 hour days and give up my weekends to be on call. It makes me realize why I wanted to be in the healthcare field in the first place. It's times like these when my faith in Aksys and myself are restored.

As I'm sitting here on Christmas day feeling warm and fuzzy inside, I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season.