Debra Tildsley
October 2025
Debra
Tildsley
,
BSN, RB-BC
Emergency Department
Howard County General Hospital
Columbia
,
MD
United States
Debra seemed to have this knack for figuring out what I needed, not just as a patient but as a person.
Where do I begin? Nurse Debra went above and beyond, and her kindness went to such a grand level. There was a lot going on in my life medically, both physically and emotionally. Debra seemed to have this knack for figuring out what I needed, not just as a patient but as a person. She went all in for her patients. She could tell I was worried about a lot of the treatment. She did my first iron injections and actually said, "Well, I need a break, so I'm just going to grab a chair."
The thing is, my veins burn with Benadryl or saline, let's just say they are super sensitive, especially with my CRPS. She took the time one day of my stay to talk to me, but not just me, but my father, too, who was obviously worn out and stretched thin. She offered him water. And I can tell you it was like this with Debbie in every encounter. I had to be put on PPN/TPN, and it ended up getting into my muscles/tissues. And I had to have five extremely painful shots into one arm, and she and two others got me through it. She said, "You can yell," and she just let me know I could get myself through it, but I got through that and so many other scary things because of the courage she gave me. It was all of the aforementioned encounters and more that made me, no, helped me, get through it all, even those darn horrifically painful shots. She spoke to me candidly about my health and really made things a lot less scary, and was very kind.
On the day of my discharge, she was there and walked my Dad and me out of the unit, but before that, she gifted me an "emotional stuffed animal". She told me when things get hard to just look at the "animal" and if things are hard, just do not let that take control, or you know, get a hold of me. It was a little stuffed chick with a tag style sign that quoted the chi left saying the following, "I don't give a cluck." It sits in my bedroom and it does help me, not just to get through things but helps me to do the things I that I need to do to get through the tough times and most of all it reminds me of the good in life, because yes last year I met Nurse Debra T. on 4 P and she changed my outlook on life. I just wanted to say thank you, Debra.
The thing is, my veins burn with Benadryl or saline, let's just say they are super sensitive, especially with my CRPS. She took the time one day of my stay to talk to me, but not just me, but my father, too, who was obviously worn out and stretched thin. She offered him water. And I can tell you it was like this with Debbie in every encounter. I had to be put on PPN/TPN, and it ended up getting into my muscles/tissues. And I had to have five extremely painful shots into one arm, and she and two others got me through it. She said, "You can yell," and she just let me know I could get myself through it, but I got through that and so many other scary things because of the courage she gave me. It was all of the aforementioned encounters and more that made me, no, helped me, get through it all, even those darn horrifically painful shots. She spoke to me candidly about my health and really made things a lot less scary, and was very kind.
On the day of my discharge, she was there and walked my Dad and me out of the unit, but before that, she gifted me an "emotional stuffed animal". She told me when things get hard to just look at the "animal" and if things are hard, just do not let that take control, or you know, get a hold of me. It was a little stuffed chick with a tag style sign that quoted the chi left saying the following, "I don't give a cluck." It sits in my bedroom and it does help me, not just to get through things but helps me to do the things I that I need to do to get through the tough times and most of all it reminds me of the good in life, because yes last year I met Nurse Debra T. on 4 P and she changed my outlook on life. I just wanted to say thank you, Debra.