‘Mi amor’: A nurse treated her mom, ailing with cancer, with unusual gentleness

This story is part of the My Unsung Hero series, from the Hidden Brain team. It features stories of people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else.

In 2013, Rasha Kowalewski’s mother, Cheryl Suzanne Stephens, was diagnosed with kidney cancer. By 2016, the cancer had spread to Stephens’ lungs and she was admitted to the hospital.

Kowalewski was scared and in disbelief. As far back as she could remember, their relationship had been close.

“I remember writing down a bunch of memories and reading them to her in the hospital room,” Kowalewski recalled.

"I told her that I would pretend to be sick when I was in elementary school because I just wanted to be with her ... And I remember her laughing and smiling and shaking her head at that story.”

Eventually, Stephens started to express some pain, so her doctors gave her an opioid, and she drifted out of consciousness.

For the next few days, Kowalewski spent as much time as she could by her mom’s side. On Stephens’ last night in the hospital, Kowalewski left to get some food. She returned to see a nurse changing Stephens’ sheets and adjusting her pillow. Kowalewski will always remember the woman’s uncommon tenderness as she spoke in Spanish to her mom.

“She kept calling my mother 'amor' over and over again,” Kowalewski said.

“‘I'm just gonna move your sheets, mi amor. Here, let me put your pillow in the right place, mi amor.’ And it touched me, and it still touches me.”

Stephens was transferred to a hospice facility later that day. A few days later, she died, at age 68.

Today, Kowalewski is still struck by the nurse’s extra care with her mom, even though Stephens was unconscious. It allowed Kowalewski to experience a moment of comfort during one of the hardest times of her life.

“I can't imagine doing the job that that nurse did ... I think it would be too heartbreaking,” Kowalewski said.

“People who work in those areas are really unsung heroes. And that particular nurse — she did something very important for me.”

My Unsung Hero is also a podcast — new episodes are released every Tuesday. To share the story of your unsung hero with the Hidden Brain team, record a voice memo on your phone and send it to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org.