Baby Steps -Part III

**Must read Part I and II to fully understand the magnitude of this post**

11am. I walked into Kate's room, fully gowned, masked, and gloved to take on Kate's long-term goal -the shower. She told me she was sore and paying for what she did yesterday, but she was ready to do it. She mummbled, "I can do it. I can do it. I can do it", took a deep breath, and stood up from the edge of the bed with her walker. And just as I was in the process of getting her wheelchair positioned to wheel her to the bathroom, I looked up at her and said, "Can you WALK to the shower?" She looked ahead of her to the bathroom and said, "Well I walked to the commode and back yesterday, so I should be able to". She was able to all right -with me following behind her with her chair, praying her knees wouldn't buckle. With some cuing on hand and feet placement, Kate was IN the shower. Standing. Once she sat down, I started frantically laying towels on the floor to soak up excess water, saying repeatedly, "This is great. Kate, this is awesome. This is so great. Oh my gosh I am so excited." Kate just sat there, not saying a word. I looked up at her and asked, "Aren't you excited about this?!" She smiled and said, "Oh I may not look excited, but I am WAY excited. I cannot believe I just did that". She went to town with her washcloth, and I helped her with her feet, back, and peri area -all the while mummbling the same this-is-great-this-is-awesome-oh-my-gosh-this-is-so-great rant the entire time. I almost cried, I was so happy. After she dried off, got dressed in her gown, and sat back in her wheelchair, I told her, "This is one of those amazing moments that I will remember as a new grad for the rest of my career, Kate." It was the best shower ever. And I wasn't even the one taking a shower.