On Tuesday evening, Aisha was the evening nurse to work with my brother who was back in ICU from the Oncology floor. Doctors had provided all treatment that could be given but his condition continued to decline. Aisha had introduced herself and immediately began working to make sure that my brother's medical needs were still being met. By 9:45 pm I finally approached her and told her that I would like to discontinue his treatments since they were not helping. She calmly explained how the process would proceed, starting with needing to consult with a physician. I greatly appreciated her calm demeanor given that I was telling her that I was asking for assistance with the most difficult task of knowingly ending my brother's life.
After he passed away, Aisha gave me and my brother's friends privacy in the room but was close by to assist us in any way. She took the extra time to talk to me to make sure that I was emotionally and physically ok after watching my brother pass away. While I figure that most people see nurses as just running tests or providing care for patients, Aisha went above and beyond to make sure that the patient's friends and family were also ok.
I also appreciated the fact that after talking with me for quite a while, I initially wanted to thank her by shaking her hand, but she told me that she preferred a hug because she is a hugger. Given the great emotional trauma of having watched my brother pass away, it really meant a lot to have received a warm and reassuring hug from Aisha. I cannot say enough about how much I appreciate all she did in caring for my brother before and after I notified her that I wanted to discontinue care for him and also provided the emotional support for me after he passed.