My husband suffered cardiac arrest while jogging. He was sent by med flight from Beaver Dam to UW Hospital's TLC unit. He was in critical condition and no one expected him to make it through the night, but he did. The next day we met Brandon, he is 6'9" tall and was wearing a red badger shirt. He would be my husband's primary nurse for the next 3 days from 7 am to 7 pm. Brandon was very attentive to both my husband's needs and the needs of me and my 3 grown sons. He was open and honest with us when we needed him to be and at the same time, he was compassionate and empathetic.
On Sunday he did a neurological exam and the results were grim. He spoke to the doctor and they did a brain scan which revealed there was no hope of my husband ever getting better. Brandon and the doctor discussed the results with us, they were again open and honest with us, and visibly saddened to have to tell us. They walked us to a conference room and we met with the rest of the team and discussed the possibility of an organ donation. My husband had signed up on the registry as a donor, so we knew what we had to do. Brandon and the doctor stayed with us when we met with the organ donation staff. They had tears in their eyes as we spoke.
Before Brandon left that night he went into the TLC lounge where my sons and various members of my husband's family were. He told them what a strong and amazing family we were and how lucky my husband was to have us, I was not in there when he said those comforting words to the family. But he didn't leave until he found me. He bent down (I am 5' tall) and gave me a big, long hug and told me how sorry he was for the way things went but that I should never doubt my decision, it was the right one. That hug and those words brought me more comfort than words can say. My family and I had some really difficult days, but those days were made easier because of Brandon. We are eternally grateful to him for the care and compassion he showed all of us!