As a clinical manager, I round with many patients and countless family members. Today, I visited with a patient's daughter who stopped me, and with tear-filled eyes expressed the life-changing experience they had with Alison McCoy that changed everything for them.
This woman's dad was receiving a life-saving pulmonary hypertension medication, and at the beginning of shift, Alison saw in her orders that the patient's doctors had ordered that today was the day this medication would be stopped and their loved one was going to transition to hospice care. Alison went to her patient and discussed this decision. When Alison asked the patient if he was ready to make this monumental decision, she immediately could sense the fear and uncertainty in his voice. He made several decisions that morning that were overwhelming and unclear. Alison understood that she needed to advocate for her patient and fight that if today was the day this patient decided to end his fight, that he did it with all the information and resources possible. She enlisted the help of all the experts she could and arranged for a family meeting with all involved parties.
It turns out that Alison was right, this patient was NOT ready to prepare for the end of life. He thought this was the only option. Without Alison taking initiative to do not the easiest thing, but rather what was best for the patient, the life of this beloved man could have been changed forever. This patient's family stated to me, "I could see in Alison's eyes, that she cared and was on our side." Thank you, Alison, for your dedication to this patient, and to making sure every patient has someone in their corner.