Anthony Meyer
November 2023
Anthony
Meyer
,
BSN, RN, CCRN
CICU
Inova Fairfax Medical Campus
Falls Church
,
VA
United States
However, my family and I felt that the care provided by Anthony and Rachel was special, and this nomination is the very least we can do to thank them.
My family and I met Anthony and Rachel in very unusual circumstances. My father, M, was admitted to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. Anthony and Rachel were his nurses the following day and at various other points during his time in the CICU. My dad suffered from severe heart disease and had survived with an LVAD for six years.
When he was admitted to the CICU, it was determined that his right heart function had declined to a level that would require hospital-level care for him to continue to live, and, together with his doctors, he decided not to accept that ongoing care. As a result, Anthony and Rachel were faced with the rather unusual circumstance of caring for a patient who was fully cognizant and fully aware that he would die at a specified time in a few days, and dealing with his grieving family.
I am nominating them for the DAISY Award, as was also suggested by my dad, because of the extraordinary manner in which they interacted with him and us. Of course, they provided excellent medical care. We have seen nothing but excellent care from the doctors, nurses, and staff of the CICU. What is extraordinary is how they conveyed genuine empathy and true patient care during this obviously trying time. They were very tolerant of the large number of family members coming and going but also interacted with us and my dad as we searched for a dynamic that could possibly suit such a situation.
They came to hear the funny stories he told and laughed with us and discretely went to work when reflections were more somber. They helped to put my dad at ease as he made the most of his last days, and projected to us a calming influence that allowed us to maintain a positive environment to the end. I realize that nurses are trained to care for patients beyond their technical medical needs, and we have interacted with many truly excellent nurses in the CICU and elsewhere in the INOVA Fairfax system. However, my family and I felt that the care provided by Anthony and Rachel was special, and this nomination is the very least we can do to thank them.
When he was admitted to the CICU, it was determined that his right heart function had declined to a level that would require hospital-level care for him to continue to live, and, together with his doctors, he decided not to accept that ongoing care. As a result, Anthony and Rachel were faced with the rather unusual circumstance of caring for a patient who was fully cognizant and fully aware that he would die at a specified time in a few days, and dealing with his grieving family.
I am nominating them for the DAISY Award, as was also suggested by my dad, because of the extraordinary manner in which they interacted with him and us. Of course, they provided excellent medical care. We have seen nothing but excellent care from the doctors, nurses, and staff of the CICU. What is extraordinary is how they conveyed genuine empathy and true patient care during this obviously trying time. They were very tolerant of the large number of family members coming and going but also interacted with us and my dad as we searched for a dynamic that could possibly suit such a situation.
They came to hear the funny stories he told and laughed with us and discretely went to work when reflections were more somber. They helped to put my dad at ease as he made the most of his last days, and projected to us a calming influence that allowed us to maintain a positive environment to the end. I realize that nurses are trained to care for patients beyond their technical medical needs, and we have interacted with many truly excellent nurses in the CICU and elsewhere in the INOVA Fairfax system. However, my family and I felt that the care provided by Anthony and Rachel was special, and this nomination is the very least we can do to thank them.