Mary Kane with her poem and staff on Ward 19
Kind deeds and excellent care inspired a patient to write a special poem about staff on a hospital ward.
Mary Kane, 81, from Poulton, composed an ode entitled ‘The Attitude of Caring’ about the compassionate staff on Ward 19 at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.
Mary said: “The staff have been so good with me. I have never seen a ward like Ward 19. The staff are fantastic.
“I wrote my poem as a way of thanking them for their kindness. I have always written poems since I was a young girl.”
Originally from Lanarkshire in Scotland, Mary worked as an auxiliary nurse at Blackpool Victoria Hospital in the 1970s.
Mary said: “I loved working as a nurse. I loved the caring part of it.”
Mary also worked in catering at the old outdoor swimming pool at South Shore in Blackpool where she served everyone from beauty queens to film stars.
Carole Murphy, Ward Manager for Ward 19, said: “This is why we do the job. All of the members of staff on the ward really appreciated the poem. Mary read it out to us and we gave her a big kiss.”
Mary Kane
The Attitude of Caring by Mary Kane
The world is in a frightening way,
And the NHS is the same, so they say.
Combined with other things,
The future seems sad,
But I’d like to relate hope,
That makes me feel glad.
As a patient in Blackpool Victoria Hospital,
Assessment Ward 19,
And from the cleaners, nursing staff and doctors,
This caring attitude was what I’d seen.
This kind of attitude can only come from the heart,
I can only praise all connected with Ward 19,
Who has a part.
In a system that hasn’t much hope,
Their caring attitude has shown they can cope.