Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Dear BYU, I couldn't say all of this.

The Best Way To Spend My Summer

When I first walked into the floor, I was nervous and wasn’t sure what to expect. I felt like maybe I was in the way and didn’t belong there. But soon nurses, PCT’s, and therapists reached out to me and helped me feel included in several ways.

On my first day, I just stood there, scared to ask anyone what I should do, but one outgoing nurse, Fenise, soon had me getting meal trays, handing them to patients, and even sitting down and visiting with them. I soon discovered that all the patients had one thing in common: they loved to talk. Everyday at breakfast, I was invited to sit and tell about how I was “wasting my summer away in a hospital.” All of the patients had diverse and different pasts and I found myself drawn into the stories of their lives. Each week there was a new patient to meet, a new story to be heard, and a new friend to be made.

One important thing that my internship did was help me learn that I can relate to a variety of people. No matter how different from a person you may think you are, there is always something you can find in common. I found out during therapy that one of the patients loved to sing, something I am passionate about. He told me about all the places that he had traveled to and all the people he was able to work with as he sang in choirs and directed them.

I also became more empathetic. One of the patient, who was just a year older than me, crashed on his scooter, something I drive daily. I remember his first day in therapy, when the occupational therapist asked him a series of questions. They ranged from “How many days are in a week?” to “What happened in the Civil War?” As I watched him struggle to answer questions that would seem easy to most people, I found myself relating. His situation could have easily been mine if I hadn’t been wearing a helmet when I crashed on my scooter.

There was another patient who recently had his leg amputated due to diabetes. For over 70 years he had a perfectly functioning leg and suddenly because of one wrong slip with a nail clipper, he contracted an infection and he learned that he was going to lose his leg. And yet, he was incredibly upbeat and enthusiastic. Each morning, when I greeted him, my greeting would be returned with a resounding, “I slept horribly, but I’m alive!” Or in therapy, the therapist would ask, “Do you think you can do this?” and he would quickly respond, “Well, I can most certainly try!” In moments when I might feel frustrated with what I’m going through, I can always look back and remember his extremely optimist attitude during a very difficult time in his life.

I remember one patient who had a severe brain hemorrhage and lost most of her mobility. She was about the age of my mom each day I watched her struggle with the effects of this sudden impairment. One particularly hard morning, I was trying to encourage her to feed herself. We tried eating one thing at a time, first the grapes, then the eggs but she kept getting distracted. At one point, she started to cry because she hadn’t had her pain medication yet, and she was clenching the fork too hard. I gently rubbed her back, and massaged her hands to help her relax before the nurses could come. During the rest of breakfast she got frustrated and confused. At one point, I asked her what she wanted and she said, “Just to eat my breakfast in peace!” At moments like this, you could get frustrated and want to just leave. But this internship taught me that as the medical professional you have to patient and recognize that in this case, the patient is literally “not in their right mind” due to brain damage. You have to be very patient and understanding of what they are going through.

Overall, this internship gave me a whole new confidence within a hospital setting. I know how to behave properly around a doctor to show that I’m interested, but not get in the way. I learned how to interact with a variety of people, both patients and staff, and how to be a team player. Doing this internship was probably one of the best ways to spend my summer and I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to do this. Now I can’t wait to start my own medical career.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

When the Snelson's get together....

"What the heck? Why did I just hug Josh?"
"Hmmm..... sounds like a personal problem to me."


"Dad, ignore everything I'm about to say."
"I usually do."


"Grant, can you say crazy?"
"Cwazy"
"Good. Now say, Mimi is crazy."


"Dad said just to put him in a nice retirement home."
"What about Mom?"
"Mom's gonna be in a house next door. Probably attached."
"Just put a tunnel underneath. I'll wheel myself over in my wheel chair."


"Dad, I can't wear Kirkland jeans, and find a wife that you would approve of."


"Please make eye contact when I talk to you."
"You're not even making eye contact with me!"
"Oh yeah, sorry. I got distracted."


"Awww crap, I lost it."
"Boston? We lost Boston?"


"Hey, you saw that pregnancy test. You knew what you were getting yourself into."
"Hey, I just thought I had to keep you clean and fed."


"We can go horse back riding! Don't they have winter horses?"


"It's not a vacation if it's warm."


"Hmmm.... Well let's see. I have to speak in sacrament meeting that Sunday."
"Can't you just call in sick?"


"I hope everyone buckled up because I'm not the safest driver. Did everyone sign their consent forms and waivers?"


"Jeff, we really don't want you to be here. It was a much better three seconds without you."


"I think I might do some shopping myself..."
"Really Dad? What are you gonna go buy?"
"I'll probably get some fruit at Costco. Maybe pick up some eggs..."


"Chanelle I heard a story about you..."
"What? Stop it. It's not true. My little sister is here, and it probably can't be good."

"Stop texting! I just want to see your face."


"What does peanut gallery even mean?"
"It means no side comments. Like, no sassy things or I'll drop kick you in the face."


"Hi Aubs! Your-hair-is-pretty-do-you-have-a-boyfriend?"
"No siree"
"Yeah, but she could have any guy she wanted."


"I'm gonna... cut all your fingers off."


"Aubrey LOVES it when you tickle here. Keep doing that, you'll see how much fun she has. See? Look at her. Aubrey you having fun yet?"



"I swear Aubrey, if you're married right after high school I'm gonna punch your face. And lock you in a basement. With a dragon."

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Struggs....

"Daddy, I need your help. I have to write about a personal struggle, but I can't think of one."
"Hmm... let's think for a moment.
Oh! I know!
You could write about how one time on the weekend we went to go eat some ice cream, but we had forgotten to buy some ice cream, and so we couldn't have ice cream that night.
That was definitely a major trial.
Or, that one day that Jason called to inform me that Costco was going to quit selling Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough! Oh geez, that caused a fright."

"Fantastic Dad, thanks."

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Disconnect from the world

"When I was a little nugget..." I began.
"Aubrey, you are a little nugget."
"Okay, then when I was a little little nugget..."

You got through that stage in your life when you're trying to find out who and what you are. And you try to act a certain way and dress a certain way.
Then suddenly, you realized, that all you have to do is impress God. Show him how much you love him,. You read his words and love Him, and then all that other stuff doesn't matter anymore.
You don't have time for Heavenly Father and half-heartedly say your prayers at night. Then one night, you read your scriptures and say, "Heavenly Father, I read this. It's amazing. I can't believe I never noticed it before." And He says, "I know. I've been waiting. And I'm so glad you found this out."

When you're in that stage you are so worried about how you act. You are so disconnected because even if you're trying to be awesome, do you really feel that way? Do you really feel beautiful and confident in yourself?
That is why Heavenly Father is so grade. You can say anything. You can wear anything. The only thing that matters is your relationship with your Heavenly Father and all his children.

Because in the long run, we won't care if we wore a red shirt or a blue shirt that day.