When I think of Eleanor, I think of an angel and a hero. From the day my dad was admitted to the floor, to the day he went home, Eleanor was there for us. There was an instant bond between her and my dad and he (along with the rest of our family) looked forward to having her as a nurse. She treated us like family and we will always be grateful for that. Eleanor was very caring, attentive and professional.
My dad had a double by-pass and was doing exceptionally well. He was scheduled to go home on Easter Sunday, but the day before, he coded while in the shower. Eleanor was on shift and she took charge. She performed CPR for approximately 5 minutes. Then, with help from other doctors and nurses, my dad was shocked and he survived. As the staff was loading Dad onto the bed to get him to ICU, Eleanor comforted my mom and helped her get their things down to ICU. My mom was in the room when Dad coded, so she had watched in fear. Eleanor stayed with my mom while Dad was getting settled; it was about 30 minutes before Mom got to go back to see him. I thank God for Eleanor being there to save my dad's life and to comfort my mom.
Eleanor checked on Dad every day. She was the nurse who helped him get moved back to the heart floor after a couple days' stay in the ICU. Even when she was not on his wing, she came in after her shift to visit and make sure he was doing better. One evening, she stayed over an hour after her shift was over to visit with our family. She had become quite smitten with my dad's granddaughter, whom she loved to walk around and play with. Eleanor was not going to be on shift the day my dad got to go home, so she came in the night before to say her goodbyes and give EVERYONE in the family hugs.
It all makes perfect sense now. All of the nurses at the hospital were wonderful, but why from the beginning, did Eleanor stand out? Little did she know that she would be our father's angel-in-disguise. She would be the one to save his life. And we will hold her in our hearts forever.