Waking up from surgery can be a scary experience, especially when you’re five years old. You’re probably in pain, you might not remember what happened, and all you really want is someone to comfort you.
When Slade Thompson woke up from a procedure at UPMC Susquehanna Health in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, he was “calm and sweet,” but he wanted his mom.
“When I told him Mom couldn’t be there, he asked if I would snuggle him and I said, ‘sure will,” Annie Hager, R.N. told WNEP.
Their sweet moment was captured on camera.
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Layla Thompson, Slade’s mom, told WNEP that this procedure was Slade’s second surgery of the year.
“He’s been through a lot this last year,” Thompson said. “We had been in the children’s hospital, so we were kind of nervous just going to a hospital to have it done.”
After waking up, Thompson, who was in the waiting room, was told her son did well, but it would be a moment before she could see him because the nurses needed to check his vitals.
Slade asked Hager if she would snuggle with him.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw8VuJpnWlj/
“Most kids scream their way out of anesthesia (to no fault of their own, it’s a pretty normal response to all the stuff we give them) but Slade, although crying at times, was calm and sweet, but obviously scared and in some pain,” Hager wrote on Instagram.
“He asked me if I would snuggle him and take care of him. I jumped right in that bed and snuggled up that little guy so fast! His small sweet request made my heart so full!!!”
Thompson and her fiancé got a “little teary-eyed” when they were finally able to see Slade and witnessed Hager cuddling with the 5-year-old.
When Slade and his mom had to return to the hospital for another appointment, they brought Hager flowers and a big hug.
“This right here is why I LOVE my job. It is why I go to work everyday. Its moments like this that make it all worth it,” Hager wrote.
Annie Hager said that any of her coworkers would have done the same thing. Share this article, and let’s show some appreciation for nurses who show us kindness and compassion every day!
