Ashlee Pischke is an Extraordinary Nurse. Recently, she recently initiated and helped make it possible for a patient of hers to get home for him to die there. That was his wish from the time he was admitted to the facility. The patient asked Ashlee if she would promise to try getting him home before he died. She worked with him along with his niece and told him she would do everything in her power to make it happen. She had to explain to the patient that she'd work really hard to accomplish this but also needed to help him understand that if his heart gave out beforehand that it might not be possible.
She persevered and worked with the SW. They contacted Gold Cross Ambulance for transport. The day he was scheduled to go home was a day we had one of the first snowstorms of the season. I was told the timing of this patient's return home continued to get delayed due to 911 calls coming in.
Ashlee finally got the patient home. From what I understand, as they got through the front door with him on the gurney, she told him," X, you are home." She told me later that when he entered his home he opened his eyes, smiled and started crying at the same time. When I heard through our communication network that this patient had passed I found out it was less than 12 hours after Ashlee got him home.
From my conversations with Ashlee, I know she is a dedicated, loving, strong, assertive, get-the-job-done nurse. She has such overwhelming kindness and compassion for her patients and the deed described herein denotes all those things in addition to a dedication to always making the patient's needs and desires priority even if it seems close to impossible, as this deed seemed. Even as this man was near the end of life, Ashlee facilitated the last wishes of her patient. She was able to push forward with a huge heart full of determination. She has a genuine selfless love which makes her a true DAISY Nurse.