Bree Love, BSN, RN

My mother was admitted to Advent Health (Shawnee Mission) for being fatigued and not being able to stay awake. After two days of blood work and a bone marrow biopsy from her hip, she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. At this point, Mom was non-responsive, and her outlook was very grave. Mom was transferred to the ICU floor while the doctors came up with a game plan for her treatment.

Now comes Bree. A young nurse with braided hair and a laser-focused mindset. Bree seemed very direct and to the point with the treatment and care she was giving to my mother. Our family wasn't quite sure how to take Bree's personality and just chalked it up to her being professional.

As I left the hospital that night, I wasn't sure if this would be the last time I would see my mother alive; however, I thanked Bree for being so patient with all of us and the care she had given Mom. Bree was near the end of her shift, and I could tell she was exhausted, but she gave me a simple nod and a " you're welcome" from under her hospital mask.

Fast forward to a few days later. Mom has now received her initial chemotherapy treatment, and her body and mind are responding very well. She's starting to make a Patrick Mahomes-like comeback.

My daughter and I walk into her ICU room that afternoon for a visit, and whom do we see? Bree is there. She's giving my mother some meds, and they are talking like old friends. I can't believe it. Bree looks up, and from under her mask I hear, "Welcome back. Who is this little one?"

I introduce Bree to my 5-year-old Autistic daughter, who  immediately takes a liking to Bree and joins in on the conversation. Bree is asking her all kinds of questions, and Mom is just loving it. She still doesn't have a lot of strength, but I see a small tear running down her cheek because Bree is being so sweet and kind with her granddaughter.

Shortly after Mom receives her meds, Bree asks Mom if she would like her hair done. Mom gets the biggest smile and yells, "Oh yes, that would be lovely." Bree takes the next 20 minutes and brushes and braids my mother's hair into pigtails. My daughter is not one to sit for an extended amount of time, but she sat for the whole session. Just watching Bree and chatting it up with the girls.

Shortly after Bree finished, Mom asked my daughter who was doing her hair before school, as Mom always does her hair before school. She replied, Daddy is doing it and my mother just rolled her eyes, knowing that Daddy can't do hair that well. Bree happened to hear this exchange and asked, "Would you like me to braid your hair?" She sat up in her chair and got the biggest smile. Bree left the room to check on her other patients and returned a short while later. She started in on her hair and told her, "Welcome to Bree's hair salon."

My daughter loved the whole process. It was fantastic and emotional at the same time. My mother, who was just knocking on death's door 48 hours earlier, got to watch this whole process play out, and my daughter was occupied while we got to enjoy one of the most humbling moments in our entire lives. My daughter kept saying "Grandma, look at my hair. It's beautiful and I look like Dorothy (from Wizard of OZ)". Nurses, a doctor, and even a patient walking by stopped by our room to see how much fun we were having and how good her hair looked. There were a lot of smiles that day. You would've thought the whole floor was having a party.

It was just what our family and my mother especially needed. Mom knows she has a fight on her hands with future treatments and the road we are about to go down, but the happiness we all had last night just gave her that much more fight and that much more hope. Bree is something special.

After leaving the hospital last night, I realized Bree knew the grave danger my mom was in when she was admitted to her floor. She wasn't being mean or offish when we initially met, but she knew the magnitude of the situation we were dealing with, and she had to get my mom to a point where we could be happy and celebrate again.

Kind of like Superman when he gets a call and has to rip open his suit and get into uniform; he is strictly business, but when everyone is safe, there is a human under that uniform. There are emotions and a kind, loving spirit. Bree is our superhero, and we have so much love for the amazing job and care she provided.

As we were going to bed last night, my daughter asked me if we could "go back to Bree's hair salon tomorrow." I almost lost it. The fact that she now associates AdventHealth as a happy place and not somewhere that bad things happen is monumental for us. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you guys and Bree so much for all that you've done.