Shelby Skiles was staying at Children’s Medical Center Dallas with her 2-year-old daughter when she started writing because she was having problems drifting off.
Skiles, 28, has spent practically every night since May in the hospital after discovering that her only child, Sophie, has a severe form of T-cell lymphoma.
She estimates that there have been hundreds of nurses that Skiles and her husband Jonathan have interacted with throughout Sophie’s rehabilitation.
Chemotherapy for the child was administered 15 times, which helped to contain the cancer’s growth. His stem cell transplant is currently on hold for him.
The rigorous chemotherapy, however, rendered Sophie unable to move, speak, or feed herself.
Skiles recalled the night earlier this month when she first began to write: “It was like 3 a.m. and I was lying on that horrible couch in the hospital room and I couldn’t go to sleep.”
I immediately started writing down what the nurses were doing, and it just kept going.
The list included procedures other than simple checks.
Skiles noted all the things I’ve seen them do for us and for others, such as the nurse who sat on the floor with me when I had a panic attack following the diagnosis.
Skiles posted a note of gratitude to the nurses on the “Sophie the Brave” Facebook page that she and her family created for Sophie.
I see you carrying armfuls of goods and medication into the room of one child as your phone rings in your pocket from the chamber of another youngster, she remarked. “I observe that you put on gloves and a mask and try not to be too noisy at night. She has a little bald head, which I imagine you caressing while firmly covering her in blankets.
The article has now been shared by over 25,000 people.
Skiles reasoned that since Sophie’s page had a large following, “I’ll post this and raise awareness of what happens at a children’s hospital and what nurses do, especially when caring for sick children.”
But the level of interest it has generated has simply astounded me, she added.
Sophie’s nurses at Children’s Medical Center Dallas took notice of the message as well.
The clinical manager of the Pauline Allen Gill Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Susan McCollom, who has helped with Sophie’s care, said, “I really am so grateful that she did it.”
One worker remarked, “It kind of nailed why we do it and that what we do is not just a job. Our work is extremely challenging on an emotional, physical, and cerebral level.”
I’m very proud of my team, she added, but I’m not surprised since I know that’s what they do every day.
Sophie will probably remain at the Dallas medical center until at least the end of January before relocating to a nearby house, said Skiles.
After the stem cell transplant, Sophie will require ongoing therapy and will need to remain in close proximity to the hospital for examinations.
Skiles said of the nurses she has encountered thus far, “It’s amazing to watch people put their life on hold and absolutely care for kids that truly, really need it.” They look after the parents as well.
