While my father was in the cardiac ICU, all the nurses were wonderful in taking care of him, however, Liz Lucas went above the call of her duty.
My Dad had tricuspid valve replacement surgery at UPMC Shadyside. I was supposed to be there before the surgery. I delayed my flight to Pittsburgh from Fort Myers because my husband was becoming a US citizen. My Dad made it through surgery and when the ventilator was removed, he started coughing, his breathing became distressed and it was put back in to help him. I arrived late on Friday night. My Dad was awake with the vent in but that would be the last time I would see the life in his crystal blue eyes. He knew I had made it and was there with my Mom.
Now you must know that I am a kindergarten teacher and not in the medical field. I could never do what nurses do daily. However, on Saturday Liz was on duty. That morning I went to visit my Dad with my brother and mom. At some point, he woke up and ripped out the ventilator tube out, so he was sedated and would remain sedated for the rest of the day and night. My brother ended up leaving later that day. My mom had not gotten much sleep since the surgery, so she took a rest and I went to spend time with my Dad. While I was there, Liz had come in and spent a lot of time with me. She took the time to explain what had been going on, and what all the beeps, lines and numbers meant. She told me what they were watching with my Dad and their concerns. She had empathy for my situation. She too had been the daughter that had sat with her mother, while her father was in a similar situation. I am the youngest of my parents' 3 children. I was the one who had to be strong and support my mom, which is something I was not sure I could ever do. Liz supported me and encouraged me to be what my mom needed.
It wasn't just what Liz did for me, but what she did for my mom. My mom was weary from the nights of not sleeping. Liz reminded my mom that she had to take care of herself and she needed to sleep. She gave us confirmation that my Dad would be sedated for the day and night and it would be a good time to go home and collect ourselves. We went home for the night to wash clothes, for me to unpack and get some clothes, and check on stuff. We came right back to the hospital the next day.
Sunday was much like Saturday. They decided my Dad needed a trichotomy because he became agitated when he would be woken up and still needed the support to breathe. Monday night he had that surgery and on Tuesday morning, things did not look good. My Dad passed away on Tuesday. However, I truly think my mom and I would not have been able to handle all the events of the week, had we not taken Liz's words to heart.
Liz was kind, compassionate and knew that my Dad was more than a Dad. She knew he was a huge part of our lives. She also knew that I had not lost many people in my life, so this was the hardest situation I had ever gone through. How Liz took care of my Dad and interacted with my Mom and me, I truly believe she is more than deserving of your DAISY Award.
Although my Dad passed from this life, the compassion and care from the UPMC Shadyside Cardiac ICU staff of nurses left a positive light in a very dark and sad part of my life.