My husband was recently a patient on CVIU. As a nurse on the unit, I value all of my coworkers and the hard work & dedication that they put into the care they provide each & every day. However, there are a few that stood out to make this hospitalization as easy as it could be for my husband & our family.

My daughter called me from home while I was at work, stating that my husband wasn't acting right and that he needed to go to the hospital. For him to cause such alarm, I knew that something was wrong. My heart sank. I was at work, my husband home delirious from fever/covid. Bonnie Clark & Lee Webb were two of the nurses working that night he came in. Lee was my charge & Bonnie was my pod partner. When I explained what was going on & the need to be there for my husband, they immediately jumped in to make sure I was available for my family by watching my patients & emotionally supporting me through the calls. Lee was able to call patient placement & have my husband placed on our unit so that I could continue to work & they involved me in his care.

J had numerous tests run while he was inpatient, one of them an MRI, which determined he needed a right leg below the knee amputation. They assigned his case to one of the surgeons on the floor but I really wanted Dr. Yamaguchi to perform the surgery as I work with him every day & know the physician he is. Bonnie advocated for Dr. Yamaguchi to perform his surgery, and he did. It was a relief for me. She took the extra step to ensure that her patient was going to receive the provider of choice for his surgery.

Some other nurses that stood out during his 2.5 week stay on our unit were Robbie Dail, Ericka Hernandez Camargo, Christine Miller NP, and Jalexys Smith. Robbie Dail probably took care of J the most while he was an inpatient. Prior to surgery, Robbie advocated daily for the MRI to be completed so that way we could develop a plan of care for J. We got the MRI & it was go time. The day that J had his surgery, Robbie was his nurse. When J came back from the OR, Robbie worked diligently to get his pain under control. J was crying out in pain. Coming from a man that served our country for over 12 years & endured the pain of his diabetic foot ulcer for years; we didn't expect his pain level to be so high. Robbie was able to get him some IV push medications and a PCA pump started. It is typical that an amputee gets a PCA but Robbie contacted the providers & had the dosing increased. Robbie also kept me updated on the progress of his surgery, pain & how he was doing overall. Knowing that I worked the night before and would be working the night of his procedure, it truly meant the most to me knowing that J was in good hands & I was receiving all those wonderful updates. Every day that I came into work and Robbie was his nurse, he gave me an updated on his care that day. This allowed me to work full time & still be involved in my husband's care. Robbie is a quiet guy who just does his job & keeps trucking, but I feel he definitely deserves the recognition. I owe him a debt of gratitude. He was my hero during this hospitalization & I am glad that he was so involved in getting things done to help J's recovery.

Ericka had J a night before his surgery. He was in a great deal of pain from his diabetic foot ulcer. Ericka stayed on top of his pain. Knowing that he was acting depressed, she did everything she could to cheer him up. A few weeks prior to this hospitalization we went to breakfast at the Scullery where J drew a picture of a dinosaur on the table. She remembered he enjoyed drawing & loved dinosaurs, so she went to Target and purchased him drawing materials as well as dinosaur stickers. She went out of her way, even on her days off, to get J other things to cheer him up. Having someone who truly cares about our family really means a lot. She did not have to go out of her way to get him things but she did. To me, this is a true example of what a healthcare hero looks like. Her compassion & energy inspire to me every day to be a better nurse. I could not have been more thrilled & relieved that she was his nurse.

Jalexys had J on the day that he went to inpatient rehab. He had been taking small bird baths since surgery. Jalexys convinced him to get in the shower & some how worked her magic on him. He let her wash his back! He is a very private person, and the level of trust that was established in a short time was amazing! All he talked about was the girl that wouldn't let him just take a bird bath. Codie was able to get J outside privileges so he could get some fresh air. He loves the outdoors so this was the best gift ever! Carter Boyd, Kelly Weidner, Bonnie Clark, Jade Ormond, Codie Brixley, Jalexys Smith, Robbie Dail, Ericka Camargo & Lee Webb as well as others made this hospitalization less stressful for us. The little things that each on did to make his stay a little better will never be forgotten. I saw him progress from down & depressed to determined & eager.

It takes a village & my village is my CVIU family. I truly appreciate my coworkers from the bottom of my heart. Someone who does not work on our unit but is still a nurse for the hospital team deserves some recognition as well. Christine is our NP who covered for his doctors while he was here in the hospital. Christine routinely checked on me & J to make sure that we were ok. Anytime that we had a concern, she came to my bedside or contacted me so we could talk about it. The day he came back from surgery, she was able to collaborate with her colleagues to get J an increase in his pain medication to make him more comfortable. When he received his stump shrinker, he had a heat like rash form as a result of wearing it, she came to bedside to make sure it was no more than a heat rash and ordered him some medications to help with his unease. Christine is more than an NP; she is our friend & I am grateful for her.