In 2006 I was working in a Neuro and Trauma ICU when a series of horrific traumas happened. I came into work to find staff crying in the hall. On that day, the young wife of a coworker had unexpectedly coded. Her husband, a nurse, had bagged his wife during the code. They worked very hard on her but couldn't save her. In a Neuro and Trauma ICU, there are very few happy endings, and the toll on the staff is great. That day I knew I had to do something to help our nurses.
I had a background in Critical Incident Stress Management, so I flew to Florida for Compassion Fatigue Training and Certification with Dr. Charles Figley. Dr. Figley had his start counseling returning medical Viet Nam Veterans. He noticed after hearing their traumatic stories that he started to feel ill. That reaction was identified as Secondary Traumatic Stress.
In healthcare, we can experience Secondary Traumatic Stress and Primary Traumatic Stress that can have lasting and devastating effects on us.
After training, I returned to my hospital, knowing that my career focus had changed forever. After counseling my coworkers for a year, I was taken aback by the tremendous need staff had for support. Staff was describing so many different symptoms of Compassion Fatigue and Burnout. I did my best to provide resources, education, and support to everyone I saw in need.
One night I went to bed and had a vivid dream. In this dream, I could hear a strong voice say, "Make it Tangible-Make It Tangible." When I awoke, I knew what the voice was trying to tell me. And that was the day the Stat Lavender Bag was born.
The Stat Lavender Bags and Program are a way to reach out to so many healthcare and helping professionals I would have never had the chance to meet. Over the past 16 years, the Stat Lavender Bags have gone throughout the U.S.A. and over four other countries. From the beginning, I have felt this to be a calling and a spiritual endeavor. Now, it is time to reach out even further, to embrace the world with this website's development.
Thank you for joining me on this journey.
Diane
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