Exceptional Compassion: The Veterinary Nurse Whose Kindness and Support Made All the Difference Through Life’s Toughest Challenges.

Alison Drew
RVN
Priory Lodge Vets Tonbridge

The context

In addition to being a very compassionate and caring veterinary nurse who goes above and beyond to care for clients and their animals, Alison has frequently stayed late after work to chat to me and support me through my personal problems. Despite being extremely busy she has taken the time to support me on several occasions. In 2020 I went through surgery for breast cancer; 2 years later I broke my wrist; last year my beloved Siamese cat died of acute renal failure, and this year my family had to make the difficult decision to stop my Dad’s dialysis due to his dementia. He passed away 2 weeks later. Alison had recently lost her Dad and was wonderful at checking up on me when I was staying behind to write up notes from a busy day at work. Her sympathetic hugs were also a great help!

The action

She would come by my office on her way home from work in the evenings and check up on how I was getting on. Everyone else would have gone off home and I was often staying behind trying to catch up on writing up notes long after closing time. It just made all the difference not to be alone and knowing that someone cared enough to delay going home to keep me company and offer helpful advice. We have worked together for many years and seen many changes. She had lost both her elderly parents recently and knows personally what it is like to be the main carer for them.

The ripple effect

We are so used to showing compassion to clients and their animals but sometimes it makes all the difference when someone notices that we need extra help ourselves. As a profession we aren’t very good at asking for help or receiving it when it is offered. Being able to offload the stresses of the day and talk about what I was dealing with at home was a great help to me at the time. Alison saw the need to be there for me and she has helped me through some difficult times. Her caring support has enabled me to cope with and overcome many hurdles. Along with our other capable and caring colleagues this has resulted in me still being able to work as a full time vet after 41 years!

Voting opens 13 November.