Nurse watches horror film for one special reason

Some people watch horror movies for the thrill factor. Others for escapism. But for Marie Curie Nurse, Bindi Poonia, there’s a much more heart-warming reason.

Bindi, who cares for people living with a terminal illness through the night, supports them in any way she can.

“One night, a gentleman I was caring for was feeling worried and couldn’t sleep,” she says.

“What he wanted was to watch a horror movie. Now, I don’t like horror movies, but I said OK to keep him company.

“About 3am, he said he was hungry. He asked for a bacon and sausage sandwich so I made him one.

“So it’s 3am and he’s eating a bacon and sausage sandwich, and we’re watching a horror movie – you really don’t know how a shift is going to go. It was brilliant.”

Nurse meets chef meets manicurist

When Bindi’s not setting up a horror movie or whipping up a late-night snack, she can also be found doing manicures.

“One lady I cared for told me she loved having her hair and nails done,” she says.

“It was something she would normally have made sure she did regularly. But she had a brain tumour and was losing her eyesight. I remember I was holding her hand and she said, ‘I’ve always loved getting my nails done and I now sometimes ask my daughter to do them for me’.

“So to relax her, I did her nails. I massaged her arms and hands too, while we just chatted. It was something that made her feel like herself and I was happy to do it.”

Gestures like watching a scary movie, making a 3am sandwich or painting nails may go beyond the nurse’s role we’d all think of. But Bindi, who ‘had nobody’ when she lost her own mum, knows that the little things really count.

Like all Marie Curie Nurses, Bindi’s there for people with any terminal illness. So whether they want care in their own homes around family, medical assistance to control pain or the comfort of doing the things they love, she’s ready to support them.

Read more about Bindi’s work here.