My surgery had been marked on our family calendar for weeks. A Heart valve replacement for a bad aortic valve, isn't something that I had been looking forward to. I'm sure not many look forward to what I consider a major surgery. I was showing the very minimal of symptoms of a bad valve, probably the largest reason why I was not looking forward to the surgery, but it was highly recommended to me that my declining heart function due to the deteriorating valve needed to be addressed. For a 48-year-old with a perfect wife and 2 perfect children at home, I was not ready for this day to arrive even though we were counting down the days and hours until "the time".
"The time" arrived. This is the time that my wife and I were told to arrive at the hospital to begin preparing for surgery. Up to and including this time, we were both very scared as to what could happen, the what-ifs had been discussed countless times. How can anyone prepare themselves for heart surgery?
Call it fate, call it fortune- but the outstanding care of the nurse assigned to us, Danelle Walsh, who welcomed us and took us under her guidance upon arrival that morning was the best thing that could ever happen to anyone in our situation. Not only did Danelle provide top-notch hospital and professional care, she displayed a complete understanding of our needs as well as outstanding recognition of our thoughts and moods. Danelle displayed complete understanding for our concern and anxiety, she demonstrated what we felt was an unprecedented compassion and kindness towards us during what I'm sure was already a busy and hectic day for her. How can someone who does what she does, each and every day, maintain this level of caring and passion that we witnessed? I was as comfortable and as relaxed as can be heading into surgery, considering what was next.
When my wife saw me shortly after surgery, it apparently was not a pretty sight considering the state of my body which included all of the tubes coming out of me. As I understand it, my wife was in shock due to my appearance; Dr. C and his team were as professional and informative as can be in every aspect during the consults leading up to the surgery, but what my wife witnessed - I'm sure it was difficult to see. Unexpectedly, Danelle checked in on my wife shortly after the surgery to discuss how I was doing from a professional aspect. Given the state I was in, I was obviously not normal due to the anesthesia; Danelle spent extra time with my wife and assured her that this was, in fact, a normal post­ surgical state. My wife and her parents were able to see me for a few minutes as I was coming out of anesthesia. Later in the day once my wife had to leave to head home in order to take care of our children, her emotions took over, which is somewhat normal but not regular due to her being a strong woman. As she was walking out, Danelle recognized that she was leaving and again consulted with her to ensure that she was at peace as best as possible. As my wife was leaving, she was given access to a box of tissues. As it turns out, the box only had one tissue left. Danelle recognized this and she grabbed another box very quickly; this is evidence enough that Danelle's quick recognition of situations and her extreme level of caring is top notch.
As we found out later the next day, and after my wife walked out on the day of surgery, Danelle lost control of her emotions. And as we later discovered, when Danelle spoke to my wife she found out that we had for some reason personally touched Danelle a little more than other patients. And that not all patients do to the extreme that we did, due to the nature of her job. She felt more connected than average.
How could a medical professional such as Danelle find the time to address each and every one of our concerns while still caring for others that day? How can she find the time to continually be present and show attention to each and every one of my questions during the pre-op process as well as comforting my wife during the post-op process?
More frequently than not, and unfortunately, medical professionals go unnoticed. This is probably by design as they are there to provide top level care to patients and families each and every day while remaining unnoticed due to their expected jobs. I'm witness to this -- Danelle is not the average medical professional in my opinion due to the extra care, kindness and generous amount of attention given to my wife and me. There are not too many nurses and doctors that have touched our lives in the way that she has, but she is definitely one of them. We will never forget our journey leading up to and including the operation, but even more evident is that we will never forget Danelle's compassion and care that she showed us during our life challenging time of need. Danelle should be considered as the ultimate role model for all members of the medical community including nurses. All too often their performance goes unseen, but Danelle and her passion for her job are to be commended. She exemplifies the role of anyone in this industry and is more than deserving of this The DAISY Award.