By Bongekile Gumede
In honour of Nurses Day, the Tiny Steps Care Team with the support of NMJ Islamic Centre treated the nurses of St Aidan’s Hospital in Berea to lunch and inspirational talks by author, Tilly Govender, motivational speaker, Ria Love, Lorraine Nelson and the founder of Tiny Steps, Naadia Sheik Hameed.
Govender reminded the nurses of the importance of self-love and said: “Everyone has the option to choose their life story. Be the person you want to be and be the best that you can be.” She told the staff of St Aidan’s that if anything is to be, it should be up to them. “You do not want to stand out on your own but rather fit in with the rest of your team,” she encouraged.
Commending the nurses on the hard work they do in the lives of people, Sheik Hameed told the nurses about what inspired her to start the Tiny Steps Care Team during the hard and desperate times of Covid.
“You nurses were the reason I started this organisation. Seeing the work the doctors and nurses, and all the medical teams, did in the time of Covid really touched me. The hospitals were overwhelmed with patients and people were dying everywhere. The nurses stood tall and did all they could to save the lives of those who were infected, also risking their lives and those of their families. That is when I decided that my organisation will provide services that will assist them in the work they do, also showing them appreciation for the hard and long hours they worked,” said Sheik Hameed.
She said the purpose of the luncheon was to show the nurses love and honour. Creating a little humour, Love asked the nurses how they would describe a day with difficult patients. She said that when she was in hospital she was not the best patient and appreciated the love and care she received from some of the nurses.
After all the formalities, Lorraine Nelson closed the day off with words of encouragement to her fellow nurses, quoting the theme of this year’s Nurses Day. “The theme for this year is ‘A Voice that Leads’ and as a nurse you don’t have to be a manager to lead. As a nurse you are a leader and you are a person who encourages and gives hope and who needs to be nurtured,” said Nelson.
She said the nurses need to be there for one another and appreciate one another, especially because some patients never show appreciation. Deputy nursing manager, DS Pillay, gave a vote of thanks to the guest speakers, Tiny Steps and all the sponsors for making the day a success. She said the nurses of St Aidan’s outshine all the nurses from other hospitals and this is evident by the patients who sometimes do not want to be discharged from the hospital when it is time to go home.
“Thanks to all the nurses for all the hard and good work that they do,” said Pillay. The nurses then received some gifts, courtesy of Tiny Steps, and a meal.
