Eileen Foley
October 2025
Eileen
Foley
,
BSN, RN, CCRN, CMC
ICU
M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital
Burnsville
,
MN
United States
Eileen, with wisdom, empathy, leadership, and heart, made possible a moment of joy that we will cherish forever.
Eileen Foley provided extraordinary care and compassion to my mother during her final days at Fairview Ridges Hospital.
What began as a painful accident quickly became a life-altering experience, not only for our family, but also, we believe, for the incredible team of caregivers who rallied around her and us.
After suffering a fall and fracturing three ribs, my mother was admitted to the hospital, where she was treated for pain and monitored for elevated blood components and low blood pressure. Although she was uncomfortable, her condition appeared stable on Monday and Tuesday.
However, late Wednesday night, with my brother and me at her bedside, she suddenly coded. The Flyer Team responded immediately and heroically, administering CPR and bringing her back. She was transferred to the ICU, intubated, and a main line was placed. The ICU team’s expert and compassionate care gave us one more day with our mom.
By Thursday morning, she had improved enough to be extubated and was able to speak with us again, a gift for which we will be forever grateful. That evening, she was placed on peritoneal dialysis (as normal), but by early Friday morning, her condition had worsened. We were called in and informed that her blood pressure was not sustaining on its own.
A CT scan with contrast revealed arterial blockage to her intestines, an inoperable and irreversible condition. The attending surgeon gently shared the devastating news: Mom had less than a day to live. Our family was shattered, but in that darkest moment, Eileen and the ICU team helped create something beautiful.
Before this, my mother had been very active in helping me plan my October wedding. She had been waiting for this day for a very long time. Upon hearing the devastating news, I hugged my mom, and the first thing she said to me was that she was very sorry she would not be able to attend our wedding or walk me down the aisle. She had been diligent with at-home PT to be able to accompany me down the aisle, with her goal to only use a cane rather than her walker.
Nurse Eileen Foley reminded me that the hospital chaplain could officiate a bedside wedding, so we asked my mom if she would like us to get married that day in her room. She clearly said, “Yes!”
What followed was nothing short of a miracle, an outpouring of love, coordination, and care led by Eileen, the ICU nurse assigned to Mom that day, my sister-in-law, and many, many nurses and other staff.
While our family scrambled to gather dresses, flowers, and a cake, Eileen quietly and masterfully orchestrated support from fellow ICU staff to transform Mom’s room into an amazing wedding venue. She also called her husband and asked him to get a wedding cake for us and bring it up immediately. They even provided a water, coffee, and cookie station with heart “cards” for our guests to wish us well outside the door of Mom’s room.
It turns out the chaplain, who officiated the wedding, was also a Minnesota Orchestra volunteer, where I serve as Volunteer Services Manager. She secretly reached out to the Minnesota Orchestra and asked if a musician might be willing to perform the wedding march and recessional. A gentleman who was their second violin graciously answered the request and rushed to the hospital to perform.
Nurses helped decorate creatively using IV poles and a sheet for a backdrop, Hawaiian flowers, the artificial flowers from the lounges, and many other creative items. They also made sure Mom was clean and comfortable for the ceremony.
Upon receiving the devastating news, we phoned Mom’s sisters, and they rushed to the hospital. When we knew the wedding was on. and that Mom wanted to say goodbye to family and friends, we had her sisters reach out to their families, and we reached out to some close family friends. Within an hour, 24 of Mom’s closest family and friends were able to join us.
All through the event, Eileen was tending to her needs and updating us on new meds being administered. This was a difficult balance of communication with the doctor and us, while trying to keep my mom comfortable yet coherent to allow her to enjoy the hustle and bustle of all the setup. She had some of the hard communication, letting us know afterward that the meds keeping her blood pressure up were coming to an end, and that her pain meds would need to be increased, which in turn would lower her blood pressure to a dangerous level.
She kept us and my mom always “in the know.” There did not seem to be any surprises. all the while doing this very professionally and with great compassion.
The wedding was beautiful, moving, and filled with grace. Surrounded by love and joy, Mom passed peacefully less than two hours later, on her own terms.
Eileen’s medical care made me and my family feel like we always had an advocate for my mom. There are no words strong enough to convey the depth of our appreciation for the care and compassion shown, not just to my mother, but to all of us.
Eileen and the ICU staff cared for her as if she were their own family. The Flyer Team gave us a second chance to say goodbye. And Eileen, with wisdom, empathy, leadership, and heart, made possible a moment of joy that we will cherish forever.
What began as a painful accident quickly became a life-altering experience, not only for our family, but also, we believe, for the incredible team of caregivers who rallied around her and us.
After suffering a fall and fracturing three ribs, my mother was admitted to the hospital, where she was treated for pain and monitored for elevated blood components and low blood pressure. Although she was uncomfortable, her condition appeared stable on Monday and Tuesday.
However, late Wednesday night, with my brother and me at her bedside, she suddenly coded. The Flyer Team responded immediately and heroically, administering CPR and bringing her back. She was transferred to the ICU, intubated, and a main line was placed. The ICU team’s expert and compassionate care gave us one more day with our mom.
By Thursday morning, she had improved enough to be extubated and was able to speak with us again, a gift for which we will be forever grateful. That evening, she was placed on peritoneal dialysis (as normal), but by early Friday morning, her condition had worsened. We were called in and informed that her blood pressure was not sustaining on its own.
A CT scan with contrast revealed arterial blockage to her intestines, an inoperable and irreversible condition. The attending surgeon gently shared the devastating news: Mom had less than a day to live. Our family was shattered, but in that darkest moment, Eileen and the ICU team helped create something beautiful.
Before this, my mother had been very active in helping me plan my October wedding. She had been waiting for this day for a very long time. Upon hearing the devastating news, I hugged my mom, and the first thing she said to me was that she was very sorry she would not be able to attend our wedding or walk me down the aisle. She had been diligent with at-home PT to be able to accompany me down the aisle, with her goal to only use a cane rather than her walker.
Nurse Eileen Foley reminded me that the hospital chaplain could officiate a bedside wedding, so we asked my mom if she would like us to get married that day in her room. She clearly said, “Yes!”
What followed was nothing short of a miracle, an outpouring of love, coordination, and care led by Eileen, the ICU nurse assigned to Mom that day, my sister-in-law, and many, many nurses and other staff.
While our family scrambled to gather dresses, flowers, and a cake, Eileen quietly and masterfully orchestrated support from fellow ICU staff to transform Mom’s room into an amazing wedding venue. She also called her husband and asked him to get a wedding cake for us and bring it up immediately. They even provided a water, coffee, and cookie station with heart “cards” for our guests to wish us well outside the door of Mom’s room.
It turns out the chaplain, who officiated the wedding, was also a Minnesota Orchestra volunteer, where I serve as Volunteer Services Manager. She secretly reached out to the Minnesota Orchestra and asked if a musician might be willing to perform the wedding march and recessional. A gentleman who was their second violin graciously answered the request and rushed to the hospital to perform.
Nurses helped decorate creatively using IV poles and a sheet for a backdrop, Hawaiian flowers, the artificial flowers from the lounges, and many other creative items. They also made sure Mom was clean and comfortable for the ceremony.
Upon receiving the devastating news, we phoned Mom’s sisters, and they rushed to the hospital. When we knew the wedding was on. and that Mom wanted to say goodbye to family and friends, we had her sisters reach out to their families, and we reached out to some close family friends. Within an hour, 24 of Mom’s closest family and friends were able to join us.
All through the event, Eileen was tending to her needs and updating us on new meds being administered. This was a difficult balance of communication with the doctor and us, while trying to keep my mom comfortable yet coherent to allow her to enjoy the hustle and bustle of all the setup. She had some of the hard communication, letting us know afterward that the meds keeping her blood pressure up were coming to an end, and that her pain meds would need to be increased, which in turn would lower her blood pressure to a dangerous level.
She kept us and my mom always “in the know.” There did not seem to be any surprises. all the while doing this very professionally and with great compassion.
The wedding was beautiful, moving, and filled with grace. Surrounded by love and joy, Mom passed peacefully less than two hours later, on her own terms.
Eileen’s medical care made me and my family feel like we always had an advocate for my mom. There are no words strong enough to convey the depth of our appreciation for the care and compassion shown, not just to my mother, but to all of us.
Eileen and the ICU staff cared for her as if she were their own family. The Flyer Team gave us a second chance to say goodbye. And Eileen, with wisdom, empathy, leadership, and heart, made possible a moment of joy that we will cherish forever.