A Veteran came into the surgical ICU for a scheduled CEA. While the surgery was standard, his admission and stay were not. On the day the Veteran was scheduled for his operation, his wife was transferred from a rehabilitation unit to Mission Hospital with pneumonia. The Veteran’s wife’s condition was considered critical but unfortunately throughout the day changed to terminal. The hours after the Veteran’s surgery showed a routine physical recovery but considerable mental anguish as he learned of his wife’s deteriorating condition. Darlene showed exemplary compassion as she held this man’s hand while he cried and listened to his plea to “get me out of here, I need to be there for my family”. The Veteran’s son expressed the Veteran’s wife was “his world” and he was going to have a very hard time dealing with her passing. Not only did Darlene show compassion, but she also skillfully got the Veteran anxiety medication to help his anguish and rapidly worked to get him discharged, all the time preparing her second patient for surgery.

Darlene managed this Veteran’s pain, anxiety, hypertension, multiple line discontinued, drains removed, post-op education, and medication instruction. Yes, all her job, but she did so with an urgency, coordinating with the physician and son to try and get the Veteran to his wife’s bedside. The Veteran’s son stated when he picked his father up, “we will not make it to her”. The son later called Darlene to say that indeed his dad did make it to his wife before she passed and to thank her for getting him to his love in time to say “goodbye”.