One day in 2017 I had gotten off work and was doing laundry with my daughter when I get a call from my ex-husband, "Don't freak out, but I need you to come to St. Mary's Hospital." I'll never forget the dreaded words that came next "K got hit by a car, so I need you to meet us in the ER." Once K got there, they took us back to see him. In the back of my mind, I'm thinking they are going to check him out and we are going to have another close call and maybe stay the night then go home, but that wasn't the case. They let us see K briefly then they asked a ton of questions and the next thing I know I'm meeting a doctor saying we're doing surgery. So now I'm thinking 'this is a little more serious than I thought.'
They took my baby back and we just sat and had to wait. The rest of that night is kind of a blur. They ended up taking us to the Pediatric ICU and there they hooked my baby up to every machine possible and he just laid there looking so peaceful. I touched him and he was just limp. That was one of the worst feelings I've ever had. I had to be strong and it took every ounce of my strength to do that. I am a nurse but have no experience with neuro, so I was learning as much as I could. K ended up being put on a Pentobarb coma to help minimize the swelling in his brain. I learned ICPs should be 15 or below in a normal person but his were mid 20-30's. All of the nurses were absolutely amazing and they were caring and compassionate and sat right there with us day and night.
Then, we got into the 2nd or 3rd day and K's ICP started to get higher and got into the mid 50's at times. He developed pneumonia and a UTI and I couldn't even touch or hold his hand because that would make his ICP go up. The nurses seemed to constantly get on to me about touching him but I couldn't help it, there lay my baby in front of me and I don't know if he is going to make it through this or not. I was starting to break down and lose my composure.
Then, there was one little night nurse who looked like she just graduated nursing school. I was like "Oh great!" But she must have felt my doubts in her ability to care for my baby, because she came up to my chair and said point-blank, "I have never taken care of a patient in a Pentobarb coma before, but I want you to know that I am reading and studying everything I can about this so I am prepared for anything that might happen." That was exactly what I needed to hear. I needed to hear that this nurse wasn't going to act like she knew something that she actually didn't, just to try to put me at ease. I needed that honesty and sincerity. It was at that moment that I knew that this was the nurse I wanted and needed to take care of one of the most precious things in my life.
That nurse's name is Alyssa. I can never begin to explain how much her honesty meant to me and how much respect I have towards her. I would never want someone acting like they know exactly what they are doing when in all actuality they don't. With Alyssa being so upfront and honest with a pair of scared to death parents, it calmed everything and made me feel like we were all in this together and that we were going to find the best way to care for K. And we did!
K came out of his coma 2 weeks later and we were released from the hospital a month after we got there. He's back in school making A's and B's, he has his memory, he has his smart teenage mouth, he has everything. I have thought about what I wanted to say to all of the nurses and doctors who helped my son pull through this so many times, but it seems like no matter what comes out, it still doesn't explain the gratitude and love I have for these people, especially, the doctor and Alyssa! These were two of the many people who got me and my family through this horrible ordeal and they are the two people whom I feel so indebted to, that I can't even think of the words to express how I feel.
Thank you will never be enough, but then again no words are. Thank you...thank you...thank you from the bottom of my heart for caring for my son, we would not be where we are today if it weren't for the amazing care we received for every staff member, but especially Alyssa.