It only takes one miserable person to cause a lot of pain.

Day 8 in Ridge Meadows Hospital for Chris. Anyone who has been a patient for any significant length of time knows that nurses run the show. They can be a patient's best allie or very worst nightmare. Today we dealt with the Freddie Krueger of the nursing profession.

Chris' pain is very hard to manage. It's a tight balance that all the great nurses she has had worked out with Chris and her doctor. That's one of the things good nurses do. This one didn't, and Chris suffered, a lot, because of it. We're not sure what the nurse's problems with Chris were, and frankly, I could care less. It was her job to provide care. She failed.

This nurse is very old school. That in and of itself is not the reason she caused Chris so much unnecessary pain today. She is bitter, angry, nasty and power hungry. That's why Chris endured 12 hours of hell today.

Oh, and to give us a final f*** you, she told us that dogs were not allowed on the ward, and ran to the Nursing Manager to make sure I didn't bring another one in. Every other nurse we've dealt with, and several patients as well, have been charmed by the dogs. No longer. Kirby came with me tonight, and he'll be the last one.

To say that I am angry is a gross understatement, and I have already begun the process of making my feelings clearly known to those in the hospital hierarchy who want to know these things. My letters of thanks make a very large pile, and the powers that be will also receive notice of our gratitude to the many wonderful, caring, compassionate nurses who have cared for and continue to care for Chris.

Being at the mercy of a merciless person, especially in a weakened state, is completely dehumanizing. Watching the person you love most in the world suffer for no apparent reason is heartbreaking.