By Shawn Kennedy, AJN editor-in-chief
With rain and gray clouds clinging to the East coast, this week seemed especially long. Commuting into New York City took much longer than usual, but on a positive note, there was more time to listen to the radio or read the paper. This week, some of us at AJN came across some interesting stories. They got us through ‘til Friday, so we’re sharing them—they’re too good to keep to ourselves.
- One staffer’s reading turned up this piece: the Ford Motor Company is developing in-vehicle monitoring of diabetes and allergies. According to the article, it’s “aimed at helping people with chronic illnesses or medical disorders such as diabetes, asthma or allergies manage their condition while on the go.” Meaning, while driving?
- As we were having a laugh about what this scenario might look like in reality, one editor spoke of a friend who, while driving herself to the hospital in labor, was using an iPhone app to monitor contractions. I wonder if there’ll be new laws against using health apps while driving…
- My favorite story has nothing to do with nursing, but I can’t resist sharing it. Time.com ran a story about the possible end of the world, which some people think will happen Saturday. What’s startling is that some companies are already cashing in. One company called Eternal Earth-Bound Pets has the answer for those worried about pets left behind: its representatives are confirmed atheists—they’ll take care of the pets.
I’m not sure who said it, but you really can’t make this stuff up. Happy weekend!
When I was a little girl one of our beloved pets died. Our family attended church regularly so I was well informed about heaven and of course, hell. This pet’s death was one of the first losses I remember experiencing. Through tears I asked my dad if pets went to heaven. I have never forgotten his response… he said, “if our pets aren’t in heaven, it wouldn’t be perfect as we are told it is.” He also smiled, gathered me up in his arms and said, “I believe everything we love will be there.” My father died about 10 years ago and many of his lessons come back to me at just the perfect time to impact my daily life. He always knew just the right things to say and in my many years of nursing his wisdom and way of making complex things seem simple have been an inspiration to me as I teach patients and care for them on a daily basis.