Cecilia Mendoza
December 2020
Cecilia
Mendoza
,
BSN, RN
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Loma Linda University Children's Hospital
I saw the patient's hair was done in two space buns on the top of her head, a perfect way to show her beautiful face. Cece had given her a bath that night and took the time to make this little patient perfect and beautiful.
Cecilia Mendoza was the nurse of a 4-year old drowning victim, and it was apparent that this baby girl was not going to make it. The first day when receiving Cece's report, she already demonstrated integrity, compassion, excellence, and wholeness even when she had been awake for 12 hours and could have easily given a matter-of-fact report and went home. However, she took the time to explain to me how these parents were feeling, told me how she had been in the room, and grieved alongside the parents as they conducted the first brain death exam. The parents of this patient went home the night before to get some rest as they knew the next day would bring them an agonizing truth they already knew, their child was not going to come home with them. When I came on my shift for the second day, I saw the patient's hair was done in two space buns on the top of her head, a perfect way to show her beautiful face. Cece had given her a bath that night and took the time to make this little patient perfect and beautiful.
Once the parents came back that morning, her mother called me in the room and was crying. She asked, "who did her hair like this?", I replied that it was Cece who had done it. The mother then turned to me to say "That's how she loved to have her hair, her big sister would always put them in two space buns for her. I can't believe Cece did this for me." It is often easy to overlook the little things when it comes to our patients especially if there is not much else we can physically do for the patient. Despite that, Cece displayed true compassion and integrity not only for our patient in making her clean and presentable but also for the parents to have a memory of her that they could hold on to forever. At the end of my shift, the parents had said goodbye to their baby girl and I saw the mother writing something down on a sheet of paper.
When they were walking out of the room for the last time, the mother handed me a written letter to Cece, thanking her for her compassion and kindness to their daughter and to them.
On this day, my eyes were awakened to the fact that even the littlest of gestures for our patients can make the biggest impact. I think we all have something to learn from Cece, that the values she possesses are something we can all implement in our practice, even down to two little buns.
Once the parents came back that morning, her mother called me in the room and was crying. She asked, "who did her hair like this?", I replied that it was Cece who had done it. The mother then turned to me to say "That's how she loved to have her hair, her big sister would always put them in two space buns for her. I can't believe Cece did this for me." It is often easy to overlook the little things when it comes to our patients especially if there is not much else we can physically do for the patient. Despite that, Cece displayed true compassion and integrity not only for our patient in making her clean and presentable but also for the parents to have a memory of her that they could hold on to forever. At the end of my shift, the parents had said goodbye to their baby girl and I saw the mother writing something down on a sheet of paper.
When they were walking out of the room for the last time, the mother handed me a written letter to Cece, thanking her for her compassion and kindness to their daughter and to them.
On this day, my eyes were awakened to the fact that even the littlest of gestures for our patients can make the biggest impact. I think we all have something to learn from Cece, that the values she possesses are something we can all implement in our practice, even down to two little buns.