Brandy

Bucky and I didn't know Brandy very well before Kim's stroke. Sure, she had come for dinner now and then and was celebrating holidays with us the past year, but we didn't really know much about her. Now, with Kim's stroke, we have discovered the wonderful woman she is. Brandy is 3 credits short of becoming an EMT. She works as a manager of an NTB tire store in New Jersey. The reason she has not completed the three credits she needs is that on a "ride-along" in her training, she came upon a murder scene she didn't expect -- when the woman was pulled from the scene, it turned out to be one of her best friends. The shock was too much for Brandy to bear -- she didn't want to have that kind of shock again. So she walked away from the training she had. Kim's stroke, however, stirred the pot again for Brandy, and she was in great form from the minute she got Kim to the hospital. She was right on top of things in the ER, noting blood pressures, beats per minute, and everything else you could keep track of. She knew all the right questions to ask the nurses and doctors, and between the two of us, we seemed to cover all the bases with the right questions of the medical professionals. When it was time for Kim's admission, Brandy was at her side, making sure she had everything she needed and was supposed to have. If something was supposed to be done at 10:00, she was checking on it if it hadn't been done by 10:05.

If they had allowed it, Brandy would have stayed all night long. Kim was very scared at night -- the thought of being alone without anyone you love with your brain about to explode is an awful feeling. Brandy did her damnedest to stay as long as she could each night.

The night before Kim was discharged, there were some tests that had to be done. Brandy stayed with her through both tests, and finally got home after midnight.

One night towards the end of Kim's hospital stay, Brandy called me -- she had called me every night to let me know how Kim was when Brandy left, and update me on any medical information that was new. This particular night, though, I opened up to Brandy and told her how impressed I was with her medical acumen -- that she seemed very comfortable in a hospital setting, that she has a sense about what needs to be done, a sense about timing, and tremendous amount of caring. That is how I found out why she left her EMT ambitions. I told her she was missing her calling. At this point, she told me she had been thinking about it, and with Kim's interest in nursing and this experience at the hospital, Brandy was reconsidering her career choice. This is one woman who belongs in medicine. Any where. The sky is the limit, which is exactly what Kim's own nursing school advisors told Kim last year. The two of them have tremendous potential. And we couldn't be happier that Brandy is part of Kim's life.

It was lovely to hear Brandy tell me how much she loves Kimberly, how she makes sure she shows her each day how much she loves her -- not mere words but actions. She is willing to do whatever she needs to take care of Kim. She plans to sell her house and move into a one-level apartment so that Kim can get around safely, with no stairs in the way. She has it figured out that one can be working while the other is in school, and together they can both reach their goals. Most people would be depressed by the going-on that first week, but Brandy found her soul that week, I think. She was energized, seeing that there was a different, exciting future for her and for Kim, and she was going to make it happen, even if she had to do it FOR Kim for a while instead of WITH Kim. I believe it will happen. In a storm, you'd want Brandy on your side. You'd never have a chance to fail.

Oh, did I mention that Kim's stroke and hospitalization occupied Brandy's week of vacation? Not once did I hear one word of complaint about that -- the focus was on Kim, getting her better, getting on with life. Brandy is wonderful.