Chelsea Lowell
July 2023
Chelsea
Lowell
,
RN
Operating Room
St. Louis Children's Hospital
St Louis
,
MO
United States
I must express my gratitude for the care we received from Chelsea Lowell. After months of searching for answers to our son’s symptoms, we got the diagnosis - craniosynostosis. Along with the diagnosis, we found out that in less than 48 hours our newly 4-month-old child would be undergoing a strip craniotomy at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. The time leading up to the surgery was a blur and a hurricane of emotions. We didn’t even have time to fully grasp and come to terms with the diagnosis we had received before we were back in the hospital in the early morning hours.
This was the morning that Chelsea cared for us. When she came into the room to introduce herself and talk to us about what the day would look like for our son in the OR, I knew she could tell we were terrified and crippled with anxiety and fear. She took the time to listen to the story of how we finally found a diagnosis and how our last 48 hours had been a whirlwind of emotion, information, and fear of the unknown. She comforted us with her words of encouragement and told us in detail each step that our son would go through. She reassured us that she would be with him every step of the way; caring for him as if he was her own child.
After speaking with Chelsea and watching her carry our son out of the preop room into the OR, I knew without a doubt he was in the hands of a capable medical staff member and knew that Chelsea would care for him with the highest level of care. She updated us through every single step of his surgery while he was in the OR, and she made it a point to do it more frequently because she knew what the past 48 hours had been like from listening to our story prior to the surgery. I feel she wanted to give us every ounce of comfort we could have during such an unpredictable and chaotic few days.
Following the surgery, we went straight to the PACU to see him. After being there for a while and right before we transferred to his room for the night, Chelsea came to check on all of us and reassure us that he did amazing during the surgery. It was a comfort to us how she went out of her way to not only care so well for our child but make our mental health a priority as well. Our son stayed overnight and the following day Chelsea made it a point to come to visit each one of us.
It meant the world to know that God had placed our son in the arms of someone who cared for him so well. Chelsea is an exceptional nurse. She cares for the patient as a whole and also makes sure she cares for the parents in a way that helps them cope with the overwhelming fear and anxiety that comes with their child undergoing surgery.
We will forever be grateful for the care we received from Chelsea. It has taken me so long to write this because the care that she provides is compassionate, extraordinary, detailed, thoughtful, encompassing, and the list could go on. We thank her for caring for our son like he was her own.
This was the morning that Chelsea cared for us. When she came into the room to introduce herself and talk to us about what the day would look like for our son in the OR, I knew she could tell we were terrified and crippled with anxiety and fear. She took the time to listen to the story of how we finally found a diagnosis and how our last 48 hours had been a whirlwind of emotion, information, and fear of the unknown. She comforted us with her words of encouragement and told us in detail each step that our son would go through. She reassured us that she would be with him every step of the way; caring for him as if he was her own child.
After speaking with Chelsea and watching her carry our son out of the preop room into the OR, I knew without a doubt he was in the hands of a capable medical staff member and knew that Chelsea would care for him with the highest level of care. She updated us through every single step of his surgery while he was in the OR, and she made it a point to do it more frequently because she knew what the past 48 hours had been like from listening to our story prior to the surgery. I feel she wanted to give us every ounce of comfort we could have during such an unpredictable and chaotic few days.
Following the surgery, we went straight to the PACU to see him. After being there for a while and right before we transferred to his room for the night, Chelsea came to check on all of us and reassure us that he did amazing during the surgery. It was a comfort to us how she went out of her way to not only care so well for our child but make our mental health a priority as well. Our son stayed overnight and the following day Chelsea made it a point to come to visit each one of us.
It meant the world to know that God had placed our son in the arms of someone who cared for him so well. Chelsea is an exceptional nurse. She cares for the patient as a whole and also makes sure she cares for the parents in a way that helps them cope with the overwhelming fear and anxiety that comes with their child undergoing surgery.
We will forever be grateful for the care we received from Chelsea. It has taken me so long to write this because the care that she provides is compassionate, extraordinary, detailed, thoughtful, encompassing, and the list could go on. We thank her for caring for our son like he was her own.