The Silver Lake Girls and Me

Nurses sometimes get a bad rap. In 1975 Louise Fletcher (left) won a Best Actress Oscar for her scathing portrayal of Nurse Mildred Ratched in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". First of all, if you've never seen the film, rent it. Now. In my humble opinion it's one of the best movies ever made. Nurse Ratched is one of moviedom's all-time great villains: petty, vindictive, cold-hearted, cruel. She personifies the all the nasty, robotic nurses you may have met growing up in the 60's and 70's. Fortunately, the nurses of today are a much softer bunch. I've met probably 100 nurses over the past nine months or so, and there were only two I couldn't get along with. Of course a good deal of that has to do with my irresistible charm and rapier-like wit, but by and large the nurses have been very proficient and very kind. And while Columbia Presbyterian, world class facility that it is, had some great nurses (remember Bob?), put them up against The Silver Lake Girls and they pale by comparison. Keisha, Hattie (sounds like "Katie" with an "H"), Maria, Donna, Melissa and Gaby took care of me without making me feel helpless and had an uncanny knack for anticipating my needs. They were warm and gentle and caring. Unfortunately many of their charges are not in any condition to respond to them in any meaningful way. Many of the patients on my floor were elderly, some were suffering from dementia. I was something of a rarity: a relatively young man in an old man's body who needed a lot of T.L.C. The Girls understood this instinctively and gave of themselves freely and without hesitation. Eliot, Director of Respiratory Therapy, runs a tight ship but understands the need to allow patients to keep their dignity and their humanity. This attitude trickles down through his staff, from respiratory therapist Alexandra to nurse Ron (couldn't include him as one of "The Girls"). They all did things for me that were way above and beyond the call of duty. So here's a shout-out to my Girls: Keisha, Hattie, Maria, Donna, Melissa and Gaby...I love you all, I miss you all, and I promise if my voice ever comes back, I'll come back and perform for you gratis. And Maria? Save me some Ativan, okay?