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I've always had this desire to care for people who others wouldn't normally want to be around.  Those with AIDS, diseases believed to be taboo.  I remember my grandma, who had tuberculous, telling me how nurses would avoid spending time with her and how hospital attendants would throw her food at her.  I've wanted to be the opposite of that kind of nurse.  I had my first HIV patient as a labor & delivery nurse this past weekend.  I was nervious, to put it mildly, now that the time was here.

Why nervous?  As a new nurse, I was paranoid of making a mistake.  Sure, standard precautions were to keep me safe but what if I had an unexpected spill?  What if I had an accidental poke?  What if, what if? 

 There were a lot of challanges we had to overcome throughout her labor.  She needed antivirals throughout her labor to decrease the risk of transmission to her baby girl.  Ontop of having positive beta strep, she also spiked a temp and required extra antibiotics for her infected uterus.  Not gonna lie, as a new nurse she almost gave me a heart attack a number of times.  But all in all, we did what had to be done and a baby was born.

To my eyes, the baby girl looked perfect.  10 fingers, 10 toes, vital signs were good.  I hope in six weeks when she's tested, she's HIV negative.  Having this experience only a few days after my fifth Hanson walk made the reason behind the campaign that much more important to me.  While I can't help but wish it also benefitted people in the USA as well as Africa, I recognize those in Africa have reduced access to health care and am thankful for the dollars Hanson is donating to help them have success stories like the one we had last Saturday in Michigan.

 Thank you Hanson

PS....Why is it, everytime I'm up close walking with you guys I have nothing to say, then the most obvious conversations dawn on me afterwards?