October 2021
Cindy
Klontz
,
BSN, RN, CCRN
ICU/CCU
Northeast Georgia Medical Center
Braselton
,
GA
United States
Because of Cindy's forethought and diligence, the Labor and Delivery team was able to bring down the laboring wife to his bedside, to hold his hand while he passed away.
A young father had been a patient in Braselton's Critical Care Unit with COVID-19 for several weeks. His wife was expecting their second child at any time. As the wife's due date approached, her husband's condition deteriorated. One of the Critical Care Charge Nurses, Cindy Klontz, took it upon herself to ask if the patient could be COVID-19 tested again, hoping that his isolation could be removed and his wife and new baby visit. Cindy worked diligently on the necessary testing and later that afternoon, the young father tested negative and his isolation was removed. Less than 24 hours later, the young father began losing his battle and went into cardiac arrest. Ironically, his wife had just been admitted one floor above, in active labor. Because of Cindy's forethought and diligence, the Labor and Delivery team was able to bring down the laboring wife to his bedside, to hold his hand while he passed away. Later that same day, a healthy baby boy was born. Had it not been for Cindy, this new mother, and now widow, would not have the peace and the closure that she has today. It is in those intimate moments of birth and death that we stop and realize just how fragile life really is. What an extraordinary display of NGHS Core Values.