A young adult patient was admitted to 4 West and was soon diagnosed with a very aggressive lung cancer. 4 West quickly fell in love with this young man, along with his wife and two small children. Although the entire unit provided care, Candice had an extreme impact on him and his family.
The day after he was admitted to 4 West, Candice had to transfer him to MICU due to breathing issues. The patient was having a hard time and was not feeling well and Candice offered to pray with him and he gladly accepted the offer. Candice, who had only known the patient a few hours and had only been a nurse at SMC for 6 weeks, prayed for this patient and his family. Unbeknownst to the family, Candice left them a note in his belongings stating, "may God bless you and keep you close to Him. I am praying for you and your family," and signed her name.
The prayer and note touched the patient's wife so much that she posted the note and her thanks for this nurse on social media. The patient's condition continued to decline and he was transferred to Hospice House where he passed away. Candice and the patient's wife became friends on Facebook and outside of the hospital. A short time later, Candice had tragedy strike her own family. Candice's 4-month-old son passed away during the night while she was at work. The wife of the patient found out and reached out to Candice and helped her through her personal tragedy as Candice had helped with hers. The patient's wife went to the funeral home to help Candice plan her son's funeral and guided her through questions that Candice had not thought to ask. The patient's wife went so far as to pay for and attend the funeral of Candice's son. Candice has stated several times what a blessing it has been to have the patient's wife help her walk through this time in her life. Although Candice had the patient for only a few hours, she made such an impact on the patient and his wife that the wife knew she wanted to give some of her generosity back to Candice in her time of need.