Colin Irving
December 2020
Colin
Irving
,
RN, BSN
PICU
Phoenix Children's Hospital
Phoenix
,
AZ
United States
Colin was so loving, gentle, and patient. The way he moved about our room proved he was also so knowledgeable and confident, too.
My daughter was at PCH from Sunday until Friday. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor, had surgery to remove it and it was BENIGN! Having walked through the darkest time in my life, I have many thank you notes to write to the doctors, nurses, and even one special security guard who helped us during our time at PCH, but one nurse, in particular, stood out. Colin in the ICU was the highlight of our visit during his 3 days as our day nurse in the ICU. Colin saw us at our very worst and most scared and he comforted us with his mere presence. He not only spoke AT H, but TO H. He knelt down, looked her in the eyes, and listened to her many questions which he carefully took the time to answer as well as shared with her what was going to happen, how he could help her, etc. He was so loving, gentle, and patient. The way he moved about our room proved he was also so knowledgeable and confident, too. As a very sleep-deprived, totally stressed out mother, I saw this dear man again and again not only care for the health of H's body but the health of her spirit and her heart (and mine).
Colin demonstrated the highest level of professionalism with his swift, sure moves, calm demeanor, and attention to detail, but he also took the time to get to know H, share about himself and just establish an open dialogue between the two of them (and her worried mama)! I'm chatty and asked Colin a lot of questions and when I asked him how long he'd been a nurse since I marveled at how seamlessly he did his job, I almost fell out of the chair when he told me he'd been a nurse for 5-6 months but had worked another job on the ICU floor for a year which served as a great way to learn the ins and outs of the job. I learned that he went to NAU in Flagstaff and would drive down to PCH on the weekends for work. I admire his work ethic. I know he was so busy with his other patients and presumably 1,000 other things on his to-do list during any of his shifts, but when he was in H's room, he was solely focused on her. No request was too big or too small. I trusted him 100% with the care of my sweet girl.
I wrote him a thank you note before we were moved to the oncology floor, but I'll probably write another. I just don't know if the words I spoke to him and the words I wrote truly conveyed my heartfelt gratitude. As H and I have transitioned to life back at home and have had numerous discussions to help her process through what she experienced, his name has come up again and again in our home. We felt like we were speaking with a friend every time he entered the room and I definitely breathed a sigh of relief every time his shift started. He will forever have a special place in our hearts and we will always recall him with such fondness. We are sure he will have a very long and successful career and help many other patients and their parents, just like he helped us. Please give this request favorable consideration. This special man is truly deserving.
Colin demonstrated the highest level of professionalism with his swift, sure moves, calm demeanor, and attention to detail, but he also took the time to get to know H, share about himself and just establish an open dialogue between the two of them (and her worried mama)! I'm chatty and asked Colin a lot of questions and when I asked him how long he'd been a nurse since I marveled at how seamlessly he did his job, I almost fell out of the chair when he told me he'd been a nurse for 5-6 months but had worked another job on the ICU floor for a year which served as a great way to learn the ins and outs of the job. I learned that he went to NAU in Flagstaff and would drive down to PCH on the weekends for work. I admire his work ethic. I know he was so busy with his other patients and presumably 1,000 other things on his to-do list during any of his shifts, but when he was in H's room, he was solely focused on her. No request was too big or too small. I trusted him 100% with the care of my sweet girl.
I wrote him a thank you note before we were moved to the oncology floor, but I'll probably write another. I just don't know if the words I spoke to him and the words I wrote truly conveyed my heartfelt gratitude. As H and I have transitioned to life back at home and have had numerous discussions to help her process through what she experienced, his name has come up again and again in our home. We felt like we were speaking with a friend every time he entered the room and I definitely breathed a sigh of relief every time his shift started. He will forever have a special place in our hearts and we will always recall him with such fondness. We are sure he will have a very long and successful career and help many other patients and their parents, just like he helped us. Please give this request favorable consideration. This special man is truly deserving.