Health
It’s Never Too Late to Become a Nurse
“It’s Never Too Late” is a series that tells the stories of people who decide to pursue their dreams on their own terms.
Joanna Patchett has always had a fear of death, and the dying.
“I was terrified of being responsible for people’s lives, and was frightened of the space between life and death,” she said.
And yet in July 2020, as coronavirus cases filled up hospitals, Ms. Patchett, who was fresh out of nursing school, found herself caring for extremely ill Covid patients in the intensive care unit at Binghamton General Hospital in upstate New York.
“Seeing how sick everyone was — was heartbreaking. It was a life-changing and extremely difficult experience,” said Ms. Patchett, a 39-year-old Binghamton resident. “I didn’t expect to see so many people dying in quick succession, or to be on a floor full of ventilated patients, or intubating people so frequently, or being their primary person to have contact with them when the rest of the world could not.”
Ms. Patchett had dreamed of becoming an actress, but didn’t have much luck at the profession. In 2019, when she was 35, she went back to school, having been accepted into a one-year accelerated nursing program. Most of her classmates came to nursing straight out of college, and many fondly called her Mom. As the pandemic worsened, she was deeply moved by “how people would open up and be so vulnerable with us.”
“You could see the humanity, how worthy everyone is of life, and how hard the body fights to live,” she said.
Ms. Patchett never imagined her life would turn out this way. After getting a bachelor’s degree in English and drama from Ithaca College, she spent a decade feeling “lost and depressed,” bouncing from one job to another — teaching English and yoga, working in a dental office. She felt behind in life because she didn’t know what she wanted to do. “I knew I had something to give, but didn’t know what that was,” she said.
“I was jealous of people who challenged themselves,” Ms. Patchett said. “I never had. If I was going to grow and find myself, I needed to try something scary. I had to take a risk and challenge myself.”
It was her mother who cajoled her into nursing, sensing she’d be good in the field, even though Ms. Patchett disagreed. “I didn’t think I was equipped for that experience, or that I could handle it spiritually and emotionally.”
But over the past several years, that’s exactly where she found herself, despite the 12-hour shifts, the daily emergencies and the often harrowing emotional work. For Ms. Patchett, who lives alone, it was especially difficult to return to an empty apartment. Though her family lived only five miles away, she couldn’t see her relatives often because of the high risk of contracting the coronavirus, and there was nothing alive and vibrant to come home to. Many nights she returned from work and cried. As the intense stress of being an I.C.U. nurse took a mental toll on her, she adopted a cat, Tanky. “I wanted something to love,” she said. “Tanky really helped me through Covid. He is 15 pounds of furball love and emotional healing.”
“To lose patients I’d become close to and have them die in such a devastating way made me question everything,” she said. “But I began to see this work as my duty. It was a war. I wasn’t going to let them die alone.”
The following interview has been edited and condensed.
Since, on your first nursing job, you unexpectedly found yourself assigned to the I.C.U. floor and caring for Covid patients, did you ever regret your decision to become a nurse?
No. I never regretted this work or being here, even though it was terrifying. If anything, I found my calling. I wasn’t afraid to be the person watching someone die, or being with them when they were. I was good at being present as they passed, and I could work under a tremendous amount of stress.
How did you find the strength to face your fears?
I didn’t have a choice. You can’t run away from this kind of work. I found my ability to be challenged and then I found the strength to stay. I didn’t have the luxury of leaving sick people, nor did I want to. Someone had to be there. I knew it had to be me.
Once you were accepted into a nursing program, you realized you were one of the oldest people attending. What was that like?
I felt out of place. Most everyone was 20, 25-year-olds, pursuing nursing shortly after getting their first degree. They were bubbly. I didn’t feel part of that excited buzz. But Gen Z is a welcoming group. They didn’t have the judgment that was inside of me. Once we broke into clinical groups, we became very tight and depended on each other. We shared a lot of intense moments that gave me strength because we supported one another.
How did it feel to have the younger students call you Mom?
It was endearing. I watched out for them and made sure everybody was OK. I would bring food in case somebody hadn’t eaten. I became the person they turned to if they were going through a hard moment. I had experience from being older, something no one else had. And they made me feel I mattered; that made me feel special. I learned from them, too.
What has being a nurse taught you?
I’ve never had a job that was so meaningful or made me feel I was serving a purpose. Facing death helped me realize you can’t give up. Through nursing, I’ve learned life is going to be incredibly hard, and it’s going to hurt, but you have to make the choice to keep fighting — that’s part of living. I learned I matter, and I matter to people who are dying and who want me by their side as they are doing it.
After 18 months of fighting to save Covid patients, you decided to switch to palliative care. Why?
I burned out. I realized I had to move to another part of nursing. On the I.C.U. floor, I’d received a tutelage in death. I wanted to help people control their death, rather than watch people die flailing and gasping. When we seemed out of the woods for Covid, I started helping the elderly and those with terminal illnesses decide how they wanted to die. I’m now a hospice nurse case manager at Lourdes Hospice, an outpatient home end-of-life care provider, in Vestal, N.Y., where I interact with 20 to 30 families a week. And I’m part of deeper discussions that deal with the dignity of dying.
What have you learned about yourself as you’ve learned to care for others?
I have a voice that carries wisdom. I have a special ability to listen and to see people while being present with them in those very hard moments.
What’s the best piece of advice you can offer?
When it comes to changing your life, you sometimes have to decide to change. Once you do, almost anything is possible. Everything you do contributes to who you are now. Ironically, my yoga, acting and teaching training gave me the ability to stay grounded, present and in the moment. Not one part of your journey, even if you’re not sure what you’re doing, or where it’s going to lead you, is ever wasted. You’re never late; you’ve simply not arrived yet.
Since the age of 13, Joseph Kowalsky has harbored a fascination with life after death, pondering ways to extend his existence indefinitely.
Today, Kowalsky, now 59, is among some 2,000 individuals who have signed up with the Cryonics Institute in Clinton Township, Michigan, betting on a future where death is not the end.
Chilling prospect of immortality
Cryonics, the process at the heart of Kowalsky’s hopes, involves preserving human bodies at ultra-low temperatures in the anticipation that future science will one day revive them.
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Shortly after a person dies, organizations like the Cryonics Institute use a heart-lung resuscitator, circulate a medical-grade antifreeze in the blood and suspend the body in aluminum pods filled with liquid nitrogen.
Dennis Kowalski, current president of the Cryonics Institute (and no relation to Joseph Kowalsky), told Fox News that over 250 individuals are currently in “suspension” at the Michigan facility.
Cryonics involves preserving human bodies at ultra-low temperatures in the anticipation that future science will one day revive them. (Cryonics Institute)
Could defying death be affordable?
The Cryonics Institute is just one player in a burgeoning industry.
Alcor, the world’s oldest cryonics company, which is based in Scottsdale, Arizona, boasts a state-of-the-art facility where more than 200 individuals are preserved.
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For those opting for whole-body preservation, the price tag is $200,000, while brain-only preservation costs $80,000.
Alcor CEO James Arrowood dispels the notion that cryonics is solely for the wealthy, highlighting that many clients use life insurance policies to cover costs.
Over 250 individuals are currently in “suspension” at the Michigan facility, the president of the Cryonics Institute told Fox News. (Cryonics Institute)
“About 80% of people who sign up are middle-class,” Arrowood told Fox News.
He pointed out that the clientele includes notable figures such as baseball legend Ted Williams, whose head and body were cryopreserved separately.
Skeptics cast doubt
Critics dismiss cryonics as speculative and unproven, labeling it an “iceberg scheme” lacking scientific backing.
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“It’s a sad case of people being beguiled by a very understandable dream of resurrection,” Clive Coen of King’s College London told Fox News.
The neuroscience professor raised concerns over the damage inflicted during the preservation and revival process, warning that “there will be billions of mini-strokes in every millimeter of brain tissue” due to the inability of antifreeze to traverse the brain’s complex landscape.
Hope springs eternal for death defiers
There is currently no scientific evidence or successful case of a human being revived from a cryonically preserved state.
For those opting for whole-body preservation, the price tag is $200,000, while brain-only preservation costs $80,000. (Cryonics Institute)
Despite the skepticism, Joseph Kowalsky, who formerly worked with the Cryonics Institute, remains undeterred.
“Worst-case scenario, I’m still dead … And the upside? It could be a potentially life-saving medical technique,” he said.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews/health
As science and ethics continue to grapple with the implications of cryonics, individuals like Kowalsky illustrate a deep-seated hope for defying mortality, one frozen body at a time.
Andres del Aguila and Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.
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Most of the 38 million people living with diabetes in the U.S. use daily injections or insulin pumps to keep glucose at safe levels — but new research suggests that a third option could be just as effective.
In a study led by Dr. Irl B. Hirsch, M.D., medical director of the Diabetes Care Center of the University of Washington Medical Center, an inhaled form of insulin — similar to an asthma inhaler — worked just as well as injections or pumps to control type 1 diabetes.
The research was presented last week at the American Diabetes Association (ADA)’s 84th Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Florida.
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The clinical trial tested a product called Afrezza, an inhaled insulin made by MannKind Corporation in California.
Afrezza, the only inhaled insulin on the market, has been available since getting FDA approval in June 2014.
An inhaled form of insulin worked just as well as injections or pumps to control type 1 diabetes in a recent study. (iStock/MannKind)
Benefits of a third option
“In those with type 1 diabetes, insulin is required for survival,” Hirsch told Fox News Digital in an interview.
“With continuous glucose sensing, glucose control has been dramatically improved — but not everyone reaches the target with multiple injections or pumps, and there are many pros and cons with each therapy,” he said.
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With pumps, people must wear the device, which can lead to skin problems.
They also have to purchase extra accessories.
Blood glucose levels can also drop with exercise, Hirsch warned, which can be problematic.
Afrezza, an inhaled insulin pictured here, is made by MannKind Corporation in California. (MannKind)
“Injections overall can be more convenient for some, but they don’t do as well as pump patients,” he said.
With Afrezza, the product is inhaled into the lungs before meals, and the fast-acting insulin minimizes the glucose spike often seen after eating, Hirsch noted.
“Patients with type 1 diabetes should consider this as another option for their mealtime insulin, and talk to their doctor about this choice.”
During the 17-week study, researchers evaluated the results of 141 adults who were assigned to either use the Afrezza inhaler or continue with traditional methods of injection or pump delivery.
At the 17-week mark, all participants switched to the inhaler for another 13 weeks.
Dr. Irl B. Hirsch, M.D., medical director of the Diabetes Care Center of the University of Washington Medical Center, led the new study. (MannKind)
All groups were assessed with continuous glucose monitoring at the start of the study, at 17 weeks and again at 30 weeks.
Among the inhaled insulin group, 30% of participants reached their target glucose levels (less than 7% blood sugar) compared to 17% of the people using injections and pumps.
There was no difference in hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) between the groups.
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“In general, there was no difference in our primary endpoint, HbA1c, a reflection of average blood sugar,” Hirsch said.
“But that alone is misleading — many patients did better with their glucose control, while others did worse.”
With Afrezza, the product is inhaled into the lungs before meals, and the fast-acting insulin minimizes the glucose spike often seen after eating, a doctor said. (MannKind)
“The point is, inhaling insulin isn’t for everyone, but some did better than they did on their pumps.”
The people who saw the best results inhaled insulin between meals and at bedtime, Hirsch added.
At the end of the study, more than half of the participants said they would opt to stay on the inhaled insulin therapy.
“The biggest takeaway is that patients with type 1 diabetes should consider this as another option for their mealtime insulin, and talk to their doctor about this choice,” he recommended.
‘Adds value’
The American Diabetes Association acknowledged the promise of the study findings in an email to Fox News Digital.
“We look forward to our Scientific Sessions every year to see data like the INHALE-3 study’s findings, which have the potential to expand diabetes care,” Raveendhara Bannuru, M.D., PhD, the ADA’s vice president of medical affairs and quality improvement outcomes in Boston, Massachusetts, told Fox News Digital via email.
“With continuous glucose sensing, glucose control has been dramatically improved,” a doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“We are hopeful for the continuous development of alternative insulin delivery methods that could offer options for people living with diabetes,” the group also said in the statement.
“The INHALE-3 trial demonstrated that inhaled insulin, combined with insulin degludec, effectively reduces A1c levels without increasing hypoglycemia or weight gain in people with type 1 diabetes. This adds value to the options in insulin therapy.”
Potential risks and limitations
While more people met their glycemic targets with Afrezza, some subjects saw worse readings when switching from usual methods to inhaled insulin — “potentially due to missing doses of inhaled insulin during the day and/or underdosing going into bedtime,” the researchers wrote.
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“We didn’t see any concerns,” Hirsch said when asked about side effects.
“As expected, a few people coughed immediately when dosing their insulin, but no major concerns were seen and everyone continued on their inhaled insulin.”
“Not everyone reaches the target with multiple injections or pumps, and there are many pros and cons with each therapy,” a doctor said. (iStock)
The most common side effects noted in the study were hypoglycemia, cough and throat pain or irritation.
Afrezza has been linked to a risk of acute bronchospasm in patients with chronic lung disease, such as asthma or COPD, according to the manufacturer.
“Inhaling insulin isn’t for everyone, but some did better than they did on their pumps.”
Before starting Afrezza, patients should see a doctor for a physical examination and testing to measure lung function.
Patients who smoke or who recently quit smoking should not take the inhaled medication.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews/health
Fox News Digital reached out to MannKind requesting additional comment.
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