My grandfather had three different hospital stays recently. On this occasion, Nurse Pedersen was excellent. This was a very difficult time for our family as it was becoming increasingly evident that my grandfather's life was fading. Mr. Pedersen showed compassion and knowledge. At one point my grandfather was very rude to him, telling him to go back to the state he came from and more. Of course, he was not thinking clearly, but instead of being offended, Mr. Pedersen kindly and calmly explained that he liked it here and talked about hiking and other reasons to love being here. He never missed a beat while continuing with his explanation of what he was doing. He continued to serve with a smile, showing kindness, compassion and intelligence in his care.
Mr. Pedersen was by far the best nurse we have encountered in the last two years of being in and out of the hospital. As well as caring for my grandfather, he cared for my grandmother and me as well. At one point we didn't understand the meaning of something the doctors had said, so he did more research to be able to better explain the situation. He is such a great asset to Mission Hospital. Even though my grandfather was difficult, Mr. Pedersen continued to treat him respectfully, compassionately and intelligently.
Nowadays, it is hard to find one of those qualities in people, much less all of them. I am very hard to impress, but Mr. Pedersen impressed me, and I am thankful for his service. He is a deserving recipient of the DAISY Award at Mission Hospital.