I had to send a little note to express my sincerest appreciation to one of your amazing nurses during my mother in law's recent stay. From her admission into the ER until her discharge to Life Care, we spent a total of 16 days there. We were in MICU, transferred to the 7th floor for about 24 hours, transferred to CCU before going back up to the 5th floor. We feel like we have seen and experienced all of your hospital. There were many, many fine nurses whom we had the pleasure of dealing with during her stay. But one especially went above and beyond to the point where I wanted you to know in detail what a positive impact this nurse made on all of us.
Her name is Ashley Lawson. This nurse was a complete stranger to us and now we would all fight over who could adopt her the quickest. Her genuine care, utmost compassion, the plethora of knowledge and general demeanor helped us through some of the most difficult times we faced there. Ashley took the time to look up the info I liked to have each visit (I am not a nurse; however, my sister is a CCRN). I would gather information for her and she would tell me how she was doing and what to expect so I could relay to the rest of the family. Her first comment to me was "You must be A?" I was shocked and said yes, why? She said, "I was told in report that somebody in the family is medical and likes the numbers". She then proceeded in a very friendly and bubbly manner to her computer to give me the list of numbers I liked to get each visit. It was never an "I don't know" or "I don't have time to" or "I'll have to check on that". It was a humble confidence that put us all at ease knowing that someone who knew her stuff was caring for our loved one like she was her own. There is not a price you can put on that kind of genuine compassion and care. Ashley wholeheartedly made us feel like my mother in law was NOT just another patient, but the most special one she ever had. With limited visiting hours, there is no better feeling in the world when you can't be in there than to have someone you know will.
When I opted to write this letter, I didn't know how I could put into words how much this nurse touched our family's lives. I didn't know how I could ever express what an absolute priceless gem you have in Ashley. I decided that the best way was to just tell you as much in detail as I could so maybe you could see and feel how special this nurse is.
My father in law is 85 and although he's in good health, the stress and wear and tear of sleeping at the hospital was wearing him out. Ashley had only been our nurse one day and was on her way out to her car one day when she saw my father in law clearly a little turned around. She stopped (this amazing nurse who had just gotten off a 12-hour shift and was clearly punched out and en route to her car) and took the time to not only help him but walked him all the way back to my mother in law's room and ensure he was ok before she left. That's genuine care for humans. That's the kind of nurse people dream of having. So not only was she taking care of my mother in law, she was tending to the family's needs as well. My husband and I were both brought to tears when my father in law explained to us what she had done. The next day I saw her across the hall, she wasn't our nurse that day, but I had to thank her in person. I caught her attention and thanked her, and she was so pleasant and humble. Ashley came in and spoke to my mother in law by her nickname, not her chart name. She paid attention enough to know what we were calling her and started addressing her as such.
And if all of that isn't enough, later that day on her lunch break, she came back into our room (mind you, she was not even our nurse that day), she had gone down to the gift shop and bought my mother in law a super soft stuffed dog, a hand exerciser and puzzle books (which was because she had heard the family talking about her loving to do puzzles). My mother in law suffers from severe dementia and Ashley has endeared herself to not only us, but to her as well. So, when I tell you we could go on and on with praises, there is more. Once we left her floor, we were transferred to another floor. And I will give you one guess as to who came and visited my mother in law during her breaks. I have had a lot of sick family members and spent countless days in the hospitals over the years, never have I even heard of that! And yes, there is more. Now my mother in law is in a long-term care facility and Ashley has even came there to visit her and brought her a gorgeous plush blanket and a plant.
How many nurses do you know would take their own time and money and invest and follow up with a patient after they leave their facility? You truly have a special nurse in your midst. I'm sure I'm missing some of the amazingly special and extraordinary things she has done for my mother in law and for our family. Hang on to her. One like her are few and far between and you are truly blessed to have her on your team. The highest level of customer service is based on the little details. And in my opinion, Ashley has mastered that.