During my stay, she was able to combine remarkable nursing skills with an authentic desire to get to know and help her patients. I had major surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. I spent six days in the hospital following surgery. The first two days I had many nurses around the clock measuring my vital signs. I was hooked up to lots of intravenous drugs and fluids, an epidural catheter, a drain for my incision, and a catheter for urine collection. I felt like I might never be able to get out of bed again.

Then, on the third day, I was blessed to have Catherine as my nurse. I immediately noticed that she was very knowledgeable about my case, how she checked details and was then able to solve problems and answer my questions. First off, I had IVs on both arms inside of the elbows. She quickly noticed that they were leaking and needed to be replaced. She called a specialist and together they decided it would be safer and less complicated to use my port. That was only the beginning. For four days, I felt that my problems and care were a priority for her. She helped me get out of bed. She organized all my connections to the pole and moved it to the opposite side of the bed so that I could move more easily. She brought me cloths to wash up every morning, had someone change my sheets every day and made sure that I accomplished my "Plan of Care," especially taking me for walks. Also, since I was on a liquid diet for five days, she would contact the kitchen and my team to answer questions & help solve those problems. Finally, she made time to treat me like a person and not just a patient.

Looking back, by sharing stories and family experiences; I was encouraged and worked harder to progress. I can honestly say that she is an exceptional nurse and that all the time and energy she spent helping me was the key to my positive hospital stay and successful recovery. I am very grateful that she was my nurse for my last four days at Beth Israel.