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Tristin Kate Smith was a 28-year-old ER nurse in Ohio when she took her own life in August 2023. Two months after her death her family discovered a letter on her laptop, titled ‘Letter to my Abuser’.
In the letter, Tristin revealed the abuser to be the U.S. healthcare system that abuses nurses. She eloquently compared working as a nurse in a hospital to being in an abusive relationship. Armed with the knowledge that nursing contributed to Tristin’s decision to end her life, the Smith Family published her letter, hoping it would be a catalyst for change.
Upon learning about Tristin’s letter, I contacted the Smith Family. In the following months, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know them, especially her father, Ron Smith. In October of last year, Ron and Tristin’s sister, Sarah, appeared on an episode of the podcast I co-host, Nurses Uncorked. Ron asked me to help spread Tristin’s message and I’ve been working with him since that time to do just that.
Rally for Nurse Staffing Ratios and Mental Health
I was honored to be a part of the Rally for Ratios and Mental Health, organized by the Smith family, during Nurses Week
At the rally, with Ron Smith, Tristin’s father
The rally took place at the Statehouse in Columbus, OH on May 10th. Numerous Ohio nurses attended it, including members of the Ohio Nurses Association (ONA), state representatives, local media, and the Smith Family.
Smith Family
We gathered in our “We are all Tristin” shirts to raise awareness of the need for mental health services for nurses. The rally was also to support HB 285 The Nurse Workforce and Safe Patient Care Act, which would create minimum staffing standards between one-to-one and one-to-six for all Ohio hospitals. It was a day filled with moving speeches and a notable march around the statehouse with signs and chants of “What do we want? Safe staffing. When do we want it? Now!”. The Letter to My Abuser was read to the crowd by Tristin’s sister, Brook Griffin. Here is a portion of my speech:
@the.nurse.erica I was honored to speak at an Ohio nursing rally in support of HB285 and the family of the late Tristin Kate Smith. #fyp #foryoupage #nurse #mentalhealthmatters #thenurseerica #safestaffingsaveslives #wearealltristin ♬ original sound – TheNurseErica
Other speakers included,
- Nurse Jessica Sites,
- Tina Vinsant – host of Good Nurse Bad Nurse Podcast;
- Julia Godby-Murray – founder of the National Nurses Honor Guard Coalition;
- Rick Lucas – President of the ONA;
- Ohio Senator Bill DeMora,
- Emma Speyer for Senator Sherrod Brown;
- Marla Barthen RN
- Dr. Wendy Dean.
Left to right: Nurse Jessica Sites, Nurse Erica, Tina Vinsant – host of Good Nurse Bad Nurse Podcast, and Julia Godby-Murray – founder of National Nurses Honor Guard
Four members of Tristin Smith’s family also gave moving speeches. A notable moment for me was when a bird landed and stayed beside Ron Smith while he gave his speech. Was that you, Tristin? I can’t think of a better way to round out Nurses Week, than rallying to support nurses!
We are all Tristin shirts: https://www.bonfire.com/store/we-are-all-tristin/
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call 911, go to the nearest emergency room, or call/text the National Suicide Crisis Hotline: 988 or 1-800-442-HOPE to reach a 24-hour crisis center.
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