Dear Woman Next to Me in CPR Class Tonight,
You told me you’d happily save the life of the child you nanny. But you’d refuse to save the life of a drug addict. You have some misconceptions.
The three friends I have had who died from opiate overdoses in the last two years were white boys. Two of them were younger than me. They all held jobs with varying levels of success during their adult lives, as short as they were. They showered and brushed their teeth. They had families who loved and provided for them.
They had homes and hopes and goals.
I wish I’d yelled at you. I wish I’d screamed at you and stormed out. I wish I’d thrown up all over you, like my stomach told me it wanted me to do. I chose to be a nurse to help people and you chose to be a nanny, I assume, to do something similar.
The difference is you have way more choice of who you help in your line of work than I do. And thank goodness for that. I would hate to see you as a nurse providing substandard care for those you deemed unworthy.
My friends deserve to be alive right now and their families don’t deserve to be in mourning. These boys have mothers and fathers, siblings, friends, and people who care enough to know we’ll never forget them. What differentiates them from any child you care for? A few years and a few bad decisions.
I urge you to reevaluate your priorities. Judgmental and negative attitudes toward addiction and mental health issues contribute to the problem. I’m not saying you have to put your safety on the line.
I’m not saying you have to help everyone the world puts in your path. I am saying that you have the ability to put your preexisting notions aside, better yourself, and better the world around you.
You can help others, and that ability in and of itself is a gift and an honor and a privilege.
Sincerely,
Sonia Fine, R.N.
Featured Image By frankieleon Via Flickr Under A CC-by-2.0
