Daniele Payne
January 2016
Daniele
Payne
,
BSN, RN
Trauma and Life Support Center
UW Health
Madison
,
WI
United States
There are moments in your life that you know will remain with you for a long time - maybe forever.
One of those was August 14, 2015 in the TLC. For the two weeks prior, my 34 year old first cousin had been an inpatient in TLC, on a ventilator, and fighting for his life. He came in with difficulty breathing having been diagnosed locally with pneumonia. He was immediately intubated and stayed that way for the two weeks. They couldn't figure out what was wrong with this otherwise healthy guy, father of 3 young children. The two weeks on the ventilator had not gone well; he was put on continuous dialysis, was trached, needed chest tubes, and was put on ECMO. The signs were that this might not end well. Well, it didn't end well. On August 14, 2015 he was found with his pupils fixed and dilated--he suffered a head bleed that he would not recover from. So the tough decision of withdrawing care was made. This is where TLC RN Daniele Payne really showed her skill in remarkable care and extraordinary compassion.
Daniele was very anticipatory in her actions. She got a room nearby TLC for the family to gather and be able to ask questions and meet with the priest. She brought into this room and outside the patient room Kleenex, water and cups. She was always close by; being very attentive, but never obtrusive. She prepped the room and my cousin for a last visit from his children. She strategically draped him so that you could not see all of the tubes (chest tubes, central lines, hemodialysis lines, ECMO lines) and put the machines as far from my cousin as they could be. Long blankets hung down to the floor on each side to conceal what looked like a science experiment gone very wrong.
As family arrived to say their goodbyes, Daniele would need to enter the room to attend to my cousin. I was impressed with how she always did this without being disruptive in any way. She was very nimble and skilled in her actions. And she always conveyed that she cared about him, about his family, and about the horrible event we were suffering through. At one point, I asked Daniele how she did this every day. At that point she cried with me. She apologized for crying, but honestly, it was a moment that I won't forget; my young cousin was being cared for by a caregiver who really cared. She wasn't just going through the motions.
Daniele Payne is extraordinary in demonstrating both remarkable care and extraordinary compassion. On that awful day in August, her expertise and her caring really shined through. The difference that she made to me and my family and to my cousin and his children will not be forgotten. I want her to know how much she cares matters to those going through these awful circumstances - the difference she makes is remarkable!
One of those was August 14, 2015 in the TLC. For the two weeks prior, my 34 year old first cousin had been an inpatient in TLC, on a ventilator, and fighting for his life. He came in with difficulty breathing having been diagnosed locally with pneumonia. He was immediately intubated and stayed that way for the two weeks. They couldn't figure out what was wrong with this otherwise healthy guy, father of 3 young children. The two weeks on the ventilator had not gone well; he was put on continuous dialysis, was trached, needed chest tubes, and was put on ECMO. The signs were that this might not end well. Well, it didn't end well. On August 14, 2015 he was found with his pupils fixed and dilated--he suffered a head bleed that he would not recover from. So the tough decision of withdrawing care was made. This is where TLC RN Daniele Payne really showed her skill in remarkable care and extraordinary compassion.
Daniele was very anticipatory in her actions. She got a room nearby TLC for the family to gather and be able to ask questions and meet with the priest. She brought into this room and outside the patient room Kleenex, water and cups. She was always close by; being very attentive, but never obtrusive. She prepped the room and my cousin for a last visit from his children. She strategically draped him so that you could not see all of the tubes (chest tubes, central lines, hemodialysis lines, ECMO lines) and put the machines as far from my cousin as they could be. Long blankets hung down to the floor on each side to conceal what looked like a science experiment gone very wrong.
As family arrived to say their goodbyes, Daniele would need to enter the room to attend to my cousin. I was impressed with how she always did this without being disruptive in any way. She was very nimble and skilled in her actions. And she always conveyed that she cared about him, about his family, and about the horrible event we were suffering through. At one point, I asked Daniele how she did this every day. At that point she cried with me. She apologized for crying, but honestly, it was a moment that I won't forget; my young cousin was being cared for by a caregiver who really cared. She wasn't just going through the motions.
Daniele Payne is extraordinary in demonstrating both remarkable care and extraordinary compassion. On that awful day in August, her expertise and her caring really shined through. The difference that she made to me and my family and to my cousin and his children will not be forgotten. I want her to know how much she cares matters to those going through these awful circumstances - the difference she makes is remarkable!