“Her toes fell off into my hand”: 50 moments that changed healthcare workers forever

“Her toes fell off into my hand”: 50 moments that changed healthcare workers forever 
BoredPanda; by Dominyka; 6/18/25 
When we go through traumatic events, our brain can shut out feelings and thoughts as a way to protect us from emotional or physical damage. This can make people go numb in stressful situations, so our bodies have time to figure out the best course of survival.  Healthcare workers are frequently exposed to traumatic experiences, so when they were asked what event made them go permanently numb, they shared many devastating stories. Scroll down to find them below, and don’t forget to share similar ones if you have any. 

1. Having to tell my patient we had no ventilators left during Covid so he really had to be strong and focus on his breathing all night just to stay alive. He did. ...
3. Carrying a stillborn infant to the morgue in my arms so that her mother did not have to see her on the cold morgue cart. ...
4. A mother holding her stillborn said “I wish I could sit here and stare at her until we both turn into dust.” ... 
13. The amount of children and young people that die because they have no health insurance ...
22. Doing post mortem care on a young mom while her toddler was asleep in the cot set up beside the bed. ...
24. Losing my 8 week old daughter and my boss calling me the next day asking when I'd be returning to work, on the pediatric floor …
Editor's Note: Calling non-clinical leaders, stretch your empathy for your clinicians by asking them to describe one of their most devastating hospice/palliative experiences. Ask how that experience impacted the care they provide today. Listen and learn. Deepen your grasp for why work-home life balance is so important, especially as data-trends continually inform us of more demand, less time, and less.