3SW Cardiac Step Down

Recently, a young patient was brought to our ED with end-stage ALS. He was critically ill, and it quickly became clear that hospice was the next step. The patient knew the end was near and shared a personal request with his ED nurse, Diane. He wanted to marry the love of his life. It was a simple, quiet conversation- but one that stayed with them. After getting the patient admitted upstairs, Diane could not stop thinking about what he said. The next day, she reached out to the AOD, Dale, who connected with Heather, the Charge Nurse on 3SW. This is where the ripple effect began. The entire 3SW team came together to ensure this patient's final wish came true. In just a few hours, the team learned the couple's favorite colors (gold, purple, and brown). Decorated the patient's room with streamers, balloons, and wedding decorations, made a veil and bouquet for the bride, and a boutonniere for the groom. They arranged for a wedding cake and non-alcoholic champagne, secured an officiant for the wedding, appointed a family member as the flower guy,  and Dr. Tyagi stepped in to walk the bride down the aisle. The patient, surrounded by this outpouring of love and kindness, looked around and tearfully said, "You guys thought of everything. I am going to get extra cool points for this, aren't I?" The wedding was beautiful- the couple kept repeating, "This is more than we could have ever imagined". Twenty-four hours later, the patient passed away peacefully. But because of this team's compassion, he did so with his final wish fulfilled- as a husband. This nomination is not about a single act- it's about what happens when an entire team comes together. Their response to this request was not driven by policy or protocol. It came from the connection that defines the very best of what we do. This is a true demonstration of excellence in teamwork, compassion, and going above and beyond.