Delaney R Vanderheiden
September 2024
Delaney R
Vanderheiden
,
RN
Labor & Delivery
Regions Hospital
St. Paul
,
MN
United States
Delaney was kind, compassionate, full of empathy, and always willing to listen when we didn't know what to ask or say.
My sister-in law and brother were going through a miscarriage of their 15-week-old baby. We were from out of state, trying to get home from a family vacation, and ended up at Regions Hospital, going through this devastating situation. Delaney was there with not only my sister-in-law and my brother, but all the extended family on both sides. She was always there to answer questions we might have or would always find the answer if she did not know. She was constantly checking on us, giving us updates, and even providing basic necessities since we were from out of town. Delaney was kind, compassionate, full of empathy, and always willing to listen when we didn't know what to ask or say. I am an L&D nurse back home, and she told me the first time I spoke with her that she wanted to lift any burdens of being "nurse" off my shoulders, and she wanted to take over that responsibility fully. What a huge relief that was for me, so I could just be a sister trying to be there for my brother and sister-in-law. The biggest thing Delaney did for my family was after the baby had passed away, my brother and sister-in-law requested handprints and footprints of the baby. The funeral home said the baby was too small, and they would be unable to provide this for my family. This devastated my sister-in- law and my brother. Delaney took it upon herself to call pathology (where the baby was), talk with the technician, and see if the baby was still with them. When she found out the baby was still at the hospital, she went down to pathology and was able to get about 6 handprints and footprints on molds of clay for our family. She will never know how much this means to all of us. We will treasure the molds forever. She went above and beyond any expectations of her role as a nurse. The way she took care of our family will be something we remember for years to come. Delaney was an answer to prayer and someone who is the true definition of a nurse caring for her patients the way you would like to be taken care of in an extremely hard situation.