A nurse who works with kidney patients at Abbotsford Regional Hospital (ARH) wanted to give back to her patients for inspiring her.
So Sherrylyn Vivero decided to make life a little easier for them by donating something that is a rare commodity in the dialysis department: pillows.
Vivero just turned 35 and decided to donate 35 pillows. She calls it the “35 Pillows @ 35 Campaign.”
“I asked myself how can I give value to my patients? How can I make life a little bit easier in my own little way?” she said.
“The pillows (were) early Christmas gifts for the patients during their dialysis sessions (three to four times a week in the hospital).”
Vivero said she hopes the campaign also raises awareness of the services provided by the kidney care clinic at the hospital, which monitors thousands of people, calls people when their blood-work results are off, and educates about and prevents further kidney damage.
Vivero has been working at ARH for about the last year, after moving from Alberta.
During that time, she says she has heard “extraordinary stories of survival, hope, love and joy.” These include the cheerful elderly woman – legally blind – who is a caregiver at home to her husband who is dying of cancer.
Another is the thoughtful co-worker who every Christmas would pack a box full of gifts for a teen in the unit who was the same age as her son.
She would give the gift to the transfer bus drivers, who would then give it to the patient on his way home.
Vivero said she considers it an honour to be able to do the job that she does.
“Every day I come to work on a mission ready to serve and protect,” she said.