Donna Dufford
April 2023
Donna
Dufford
,
RN, MSN, CEN, B-C
Emergency Center
Atrium Health Navicent, The Medical Center
Macon
,
GA
United States
She understood how important it was for R’s care to listen to the ones who knew him best. At that moment, I knew we were in good hands.
My brother, R, developed an illness that took us to the Atrium Health Navicent Emergency Room. We were worried and hesitant about being there because you always hear the ER horror stories of long waits and sub-optimal care from overworked staff. Thank goodness due to his condition, he was quickly assigned to a room and Donna Dufford was assigned as his nurse. She met us in the room with a concerned yet calm demeanor and took the time to listen to every single detail we could give her about what was going on with R.
My brother was no stranger to the healthcare world- he was born with a congenital heart defect and spent a lot of his life dealing with health problems. To make matters more complicated for R, he was also nonverbal, so he relied on others to be his voice. Donna just taking the time to listen to us was more than most healthcare professionals usually will do. She understood how important it was for R’s care to listen to the ones who knew him best. At that moment, I knew we were in good hands.
My brother stayed in the ER for 24 hours and during that time when Donna was working she gently and efficiently took excellent care of my brother. I know she was swamped-what ER nurse isn’t? But she NEVER let us feel any way other than R was her only and most important patient. She came whenever we needed her (and even when we didn’t call, just to check and make sure R was doing ok). She helped calm our nerves. Not only was she an advocate for R but encouraged us to be advocates for him too. She even came up to the heart tower the next night after R had been transferred out of the ER to help start his IV again because she listened to us and learned he was a hard stick while he was in the ER. She overheard us discussing how we didn’t think his suction wasn’t working right, so she stayed after the IV to make sure the suction was working properly before she headed back to the ER. She truly went above and beyond her call of duty for my brother and our family and for her sincerity and excellent care we are forever grateful.
We didn’t quite realize it at the time, but those ended up being our last days with R, and I’m so thankful God placed Donna in his care team during that time because he knew we needed her. Donna is an amazing nurse who definitely deserves to be recognized for her outstanding care for my brother.
My brother was no stranger to the healthcare world- he was born with a congenital heart defect and spent a lot of his life dealing with health problems. To make matters more complicated for R, he was also nonverbal, so he relied on others to be his voice. Donna just taking the time to listen to us was more than most healthcare professionals usually will do. She understood how important it was for R’s care to listen to the ones who knew him best. At that moment, I knew we were in good hands.
My brother stayed in the ER for 24 hours and during that time when Donna was working she gently and efficiently took excellent care of my brother. I know she was swamped-what ER nurse isn’t? But she NEVER let us feel any way other than R was her only and most important patient. She came whenever we needed her (and even when we didn’t call, just to check and make sure R was doing ok). She helped calm our nerves. Not only was she an advocate for R but encouraged us to be advocates for him too. She even came up to the heart tower the next night after R had been transferred out of the ER to help start his IV again because she listened to us and learned he was a hard stick while he was in the ER. She overheard us discussing how we didn’t think his suction wasn’t working right, so she stayed after the IV to make sure the suction was working properly before she headed back to the ER. She truly went above and beyond her call of duty for my brother and our family and for her sincerity and excellent care we are forever grateful.
We didn’t quite realize it at the time, but those ended up being our last days with R, and I’m so thankful God placed Donna in his care team during that time because he knew we needed her. Donna is an amazing nurse who definitely deserves to be recognized for her outstanding care for my brother.