Twenty years of scrubs, pivoting without worry because this clog’s all she’s ever worn and all she’s ever needed.
In the cardiothoracic surgical intensive care unit, this shoe saw the sickest of the sick, three 12-16 hour night shifts a week. Add clinicals, two growing kids, and one master's degree.
A supportive foundation for pivoting between patients. Priorities. Drip management, coding and reviving, communicating with loved ones.
Twenty years ages the shoe that goes from locker to ICU to surgical center and back again, but the good kind of age that molds to your feet, keeps you safe, holds the memory of the good care you’ve provided. Nothing a little brown Sharpie and a quick buff can’t fix.
There’s no upgrading a clog that stands up to this kind of work. This kind of care. And she’ll do it again tomorrow.
Why she’s holding on to these Dansko shoes
“I just love this one particular pair. They have perfectly molded to my foot and just feel like a part of me :-).”
Rocking the same pair since 2001!
The mark of decades well-loved
“I just use a brown Sharpie to fix any color damage and buff them out from time to time.”
On her all-time favorite patient
“I have a very fond memory of a particular patient, Tilly. She immediately reminded me of my own Grandmother, and I developed a strong attachment to her very quickly. She was trying to decide if she should have a surgery that was dangerous at any age, but especially at her age in the late 80s. We talked endlessly about the pros and cons of the surgery and the chance of her dying in the operating room or in the ICU shortly after surgery.
We talked a lot about her family -- her grandkids in particular. We talked about what life would be like if she decided not to have the surgery and risk the aortic aneurysm rupturing and dying versus having a dangerous surgery with many complications but potentially living a longer life.
It almost felt like we were sitting around a table having tea together - the conversations were calm and thoughtful, emotional, with moments when we both took turns tearing up.
She decided to go home and not have the surgery. She wanted to live out her life with her children and grandkids for whatever time she had left. Not long after her discharge, she mailed me a picture of her with her family at her granddaughter's graduation. I was so incredibly happy for her that she made a decision and was living a life full of joy, making new memories.”
Lauren at work today
