Amber Smith
May 2019
Amber
Smith
,
RN
Surgical Floor
Highpoint Health
Lawrenceburg
,
IN
United States
"Wherever a beautiful soul has been there is a trial of beautiful memories." This is the quote that Mrs. Smith wrote on the information board in my wife's room the first day she worked with my wife of 62 years. Each family member who walked into the room saw and was comforted by it.
As we waited for the inevitable, everyone on the Surgical Unit went above and beyond to make sure that the entire family was comfortable, even going so far as to order a meal for me when they worried I hadn't eaten. They are all to be commended.
However, the moment that Mrs. Smith walked into the room, we knew she was special. She spoke to my wife and for the first time since being moved to the room from ICU earlier that day, she woke up. Mrs. Smith said it was because she was loud and maybe it was, but whatever it was, it was a miracle to us. Though she wasn't able to speak back much, we were all able to speak to her and get responses from her. She stayed awake for several hours and we could tell that she could hear us and understood what we were saying. That was the last time that she was coherent before she passed 36 hours later. We don't know how it happened, but we will forever be grateful to Mrs. Smith for that time.
As my daughter and I stayed overnight in the room for the two nights before my wife passed, Mrs. Smith's willingness to spend time with us, explaining what was going on, helping us to understand and make better decisions as to pain management for my wife, she could not have shown more empathy to our situation. We watched as she took care of our family matriarch, talking to her and while not verbal, she was getting responses to her requests. She painstakingly cleaned and applied moisturizer to my wife's lips several times her last night, knowing that they were so dry and chapped it had to be uncomfortable, talking to her the whole time.
She treated my wife with respect, there is no question that she was not just another patient but a human being deserving of whatever comfort she could provide. My family will forever remember her in our hearts and prayers.
As we waited for the inevitable, everyone on the Surgical Unit went above and beyond to make sure that the entire family was comfortable, even going so far as to order a meal for me when they worried I hadn't eaten. They are all to be commended.
However, the moment that Mrs. Smith walked into the room, we knew she was special. She spoke to my wife and for the first time since being moved to the room from ICU earlier that day, she woke up. Mrs. Smith said it was because she was loud and maybe it was, but whatever it was, it was a miracle to us. Though she wasn't able to speak back much, we were all able to speak to her and get responses from her. She stayed awake for several hours and we could tell that she could hear us and understood what we were saying. That was the last time that she was coherent before she passed 36 hours later. We don't know how it happened, but we will forever be grateful to Mrs. Smith for that time.
As my daughter and I stayed overnight in the room for the two nights before my wife passed, Mrs. Smith's willingness to spend time with us, explaining what was going on, helping us to understand and make better decisions as to pain management for my wife, she could not have shown more empathy to our situation. We watched as she took care of our family matriarch, talking to her and while not verbal, she was getting responses to her requests. She painstakingly cleaned and applied moisturizer to my wife's lips several times her last night, knowing that they were so dry and chapped it had to be uncomfortable, talking to her the whole time.
She treated my wife with respect, there is no question that she was not just another patient but a human being deserving of whatever comfort she could provide. My family will forever remember her in our hearts and prayers.