We had a patient on our floor who lost her cat of many years and was very upset about the situation. Alyssa recognized the patient’s need for comfort and sat with her while she cried. Although Alyssa was not the primary nurse that day, she stepped away from her own patients to comfort her. Beyond that, Alyssa checked on her throughout the week to make sure she was okay.

I am proud of Alyssa for acknowledging and recognizing someone’s need for support and comfort. It is not always easy to step out of our comfort zone and provide emotional support to others in need. Alyssa showed true compassion and provided care beyond bedside nursing.

***

I was on the unit for three weeks before I had an emergency C-section and gave birth to my baby. I was admitted to Riverside because my baby’s heart was beating way too fast early in my pregnancy. I tried multiple different cardiac medications hoping they would pass through the placenta to help my baby’s heart find a healthy rhythm, but unfortunately none of them worked.

Every day for three weeks a doctor would check my baby’s heart to check for heart failure. Ultimately, the medications I was taking made me sick, tired, broken, and as far away from myself as I’ve ever felt. All while sitting in a hospital bed connected to a tele and fetal monitor every hour of the day, and being told none of the medications were working. As a healthy, young first-time mom, this was not how I expected my pregnancy to go.

Through all of this, Alyssa was there for me. She encouraged me to trust my body, to trust that I knew my baby better than anyone else. She took the time to sit with me after the other doctors and nurses left to explain what was said. She helped me find my voice when I felt voiceless, and she helped me laugh when all I could do was cry.

At one point, I had to be on the cardiac floor due to one of the medications, and Alyssa, during her break, came and checked on me. She helped me find myself again after long days of mind games and fearing for the life of my baby. She helped me understand what all the monitors meant and always kept my husband and me in the loop.

When she could, she would fight to get me off the monitors for a few minutes for my mental health, and she would encourage me to go outside for fresh air. I truly believe that without Alyssa in this chapter of my life, it would have looked different. She helped my mental health, she helped me physically, and she helped save my baby.

I could not ask for a better nurse. Thank you, Alyssa.