The Uphill Battle Fought with a Spoon: A daughter’s tribute to a VON nurse
Robyn Stronge’s short story, The Uphill Battle Fought with a Spoon, was written as a reflection of years spent watching her mother Susan, a VON palliative care nurse, provide comfort, care, and dignity to people nearing the end of life. “I wrote this because I wanted her to know that I see her,” Robyn shares. “I see how hard she works and the sacrifices she makes for the sake of her patients.”
Growing up with a parent in palliative care nursing gave Robyn a unique perspective on compassion, connection, and how we care for one another through life’s most difficult moments. “You get very comfortable with talking about death,” she says. “There’s often a sense of ambiguous loss when you’re preparing for someone to die, and my mother often talks about how important it is to support loved ones through the process.”
The title of the story, The Uphill Battle Fought with a Spoon, reflects the small, deeply meaningful acts that define caregiving. “While perhaps the most pragmatic way of showing love, having someone step in to help you when you are not able can be very comforting,” Robyn says.
Her admiration for her mother’s strength extended well beyond her nursing career. Not only did she work in health care, but she also homeschooled Robyn and her brother for several years. “She was the one who taught me how to read and write in the first place,” Robyn notes.
Through her writing, Robyn hopes to recognize the people behind caregiving—the ones who bring compassion and calm to moments of uncertainty. “Most nurses and other healthcare professionals are working within the confines of an imperfect system, over which they have little to no control,” she says. “A better understanding of the daily challenges healthcare workers face has made me much more empathic.”
Robyn’s story pays tribute to the compassion, dedication, and quiet strength of her mom and other caregivers. “I’m incredibly proud of her, and I think she knows that,” Robyn says. “I would hope that most nurses have people in their corner who see and appreciate all their work because they each contribute to improving their communities every day, and that is truly valuable.”
