May 2026 Honoree
Bethany Bradshaw, RN
I was scheduled for knee replacement surgery on a particular April day. Bethany was my pre-op nurse. My blood pressure was very high, and the surgery was canceled.
Bethany was very caring, consoling, and compassionate about my surgery not being completed. She tried everything for 3 hours, from relaxation and deep breathing to talking about other things, to try and get my blood pressure down. We talked about my blood pressure only being high in medical settings and that it was usually better at home. I am on a blood pressure monitoring program from my cardiologist and take readings twice a day, which are automatically transmitted to a monitoring center.
My surgery was rescheduled for a day in May, and God was smiling down on me when I arrived at the hospital, and Bethany was again my pre op nurse. She said she had randomly picked my name off the patient board that morning. As soon as we started the pre op procedures, she was positive and said, “Do not worry… We are getting this knee replacement surgery done today.”
When I took my blood pressure at home before we left for the hospital, it was good. I printed off all my BP readings for the last 30 days (which were all normal with a good baseline) and took them with me. When we got settled in and started taking my blood pressure in the pre-op area, it was high and kept climbing.
Bethany reviewed the readings I brought with me, and we talked about them. I had taken a calming medication before coming to the hospital, but it was not working. I also took a prescription medication to lower my BP.
When my surgeon and the anesthesiologist arrived and saw my blood pressure was high, Bethany jumped right in and said, “I know the blood pressure is high, but I’m advocating for this surgery. This patient had the same experience with high BP a month ago, and the surgery was canceled. She has all her BP readings for the last 30 days, and they are all in the normal range."
She then went over the BP readings with the surgeon and the anesthesiologist. My surgeon was already aware of the BP issue and assured me we would get the surgery done. The anesthesiologist agreed, and we proceeded with the surgery. I’m convinced I was given the “green light” for the surgery because of Bethany's advocacy. I can’t thank her enough for her input, solid support, and positive attitude throughout the whole experience.
Bethany was very caring, consoling, and compassionate about my surgery not being completed. She tried everything for 3 hours, from relaxation and deep breathing to talking about other things, to try and get my blood pressure down. We talked about my blood pressure only being high in medical settings and that it was usually better at home. I am on a blood pressure monitoring program from my cardiologist and take readings twice a day, which are automatically transmitted to a monitoring center.
My surgery was rescheduled for a day in May, and God was smiling down on me when I arrived at the hospital, and Bethany was again my pre op nurse. She said she had randomly picked my name off the patient board that morning. As soon as we started the pre op procedures, she was positive and said, “Do not worry… We are getting this knee replacement surgery done today.”
When I took my blood pressure at home before we left for the hospital, it was good. I printed off all my BP readings for the last 30 days (which were all normal with a good baseline) and took them with me. When we got settled in and started taking my blood pressure in the pre-op area, it was high and kept climbing.
Bethany reviewed the readings I brought with me, and we talked about them. I had taken a calming medication before coming to the hospital, but it was not working. I also took a prescription medication to lower my BP.
When my surgeon and the anesthesiologist arrived and saw my blood pressure was high, Bethany jumped right in and said, “I know the blood pressure is high, but I’m advocating for this surgery. This patient had the same experience with high BP a month ago, and the surgery was canceled. She has all her BP readings for the last 30 days, and they are all in the normal range."
She then went over the BP readings with the surgeon and the anesthesiologist. My surgeon was already aware of the BP issue and assured me we would get the surgery done. The anesthesiologist agreed, and we proceeded with the surgery. I’m convinced I was given the “green light” for the surgery because of Bethany's advocacy. I can’t thank her enough for her input, solid support, and positive attitude throughout the whole experience.
Thank you, Bethany, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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