Abigail Ramaeker, BSN, RN

My Mom’s nurse, Abigail Ramaeker, took time out of her shift to braid my Mom’s hair. This may seem like a small, unnecessary, and insignificant moment of impact, but that’s simply not the case. My mom is completely cognizant yet paralyzed with a tracheostomy and on a ventilator. She yearns for care that she and all of us take for granted, like a cool breeze from a fan, cleaning your face, brushing your teeth, or washing your hair. Instead, she relies on her family to figure these needs out through spelling letter-by-letter with the alphabet.

During Abigail’s shift, she took it upon herself to braid my Mom’s hair and get her whispies up and out of her face. I’m 44, and I’ve never seen her hair braided. Her hair is getting long now due to being in the hospital close to three months, and it’s just something none of us thought to do - except for Abigail. When we came to see her in the morning, we noticed her hair; she pointed out her hair, she asked us to take pictures and show her what it looked like, and then she demanded I send the pictures to all of her besties.

What seems like such a ridiculously simple thing turned out to be exactly what my Mom needed for a bit of mental and emotional boost. She said it was after midnight, and Abigail sat with her, and they didn’t need to communicate much, and that it was “just really, really nice.”

Thanks for showing my Mom, and in turn, our whole family, such compassion, care, and love, Abigail. In a journey we are aching to put behind us, you broke through to make a memorable and sparkling moment for us all.