Emmanuel Anakwah
July 2023
Emmanuel
Anakwah
,
RN
2WOncology
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Livingston
,
NJ
United States
He was so empathetic to my family. He told me how hard it was for him to keep it together every time he walked through the door to the room because he could feel the sadness and grief we were all experiencing.
I am an employee of Cooperman Barnabas. My father was diagnosed with an unspecified cancer, and to this day, we still are unsure of what it was. Because of this, he was in and out of the hospital trying to maintain his symptoms while we searched for a cure. Unfortunately, the process took too long, and his cancer was too advanced for curative treatment. My father ended up back in the hospital on 2 West. That is where my family and I met Emmanuel.
He was my father’s night nurse for the last few nights of his life. We felt so bad for him having this shift, knowing what we were going through in that room. Tears were constantly flowing, going from laughing to crying, back to laughing, but he always came into the room ready to do whatever he could for us to answer any questions we threw at him (which were a lot!) He was so attentive to my father’s needs, despite him being on a dilaudid drip and unresponsive. All of his daughters (3), brothers-in-law (2), wife, brother, and cousin were in the room the day before he passed away.
Before I left for the night, Emmanuel pulled me aside and apologized for what we were going through. He was so empathetic to my family. He told me how hard it was for him to keep it together every time he walked through the door to the room because he could feel the sadness and grief we were all experiencing. He told me he was being strong for us. He said he wanted to do anything and everything he could to make us, and my father, as comfortable as he could. He assured me he understood what we were going through and felt for every single one of us.
I am a radiation therapist, so, like Emmanuel, I unfortunately see a lot of death from cancer. I know how hard this is for families. I knew how hard this would be for my family as well. But nothing will prepare you for when it actually happens. Emmanuel going out of his way to assure comfort and calmness in my father’s last few hours of life was something we will be forever grateful for. The next morning, before finishing his shift, he sat down with my mother and gave her comfort as well. Talked her through the hardest part of her life. Took the time to listen and let her greave. He was unbelievable. I am so thankful for him. He deserves this award in every way possible.
He was my father’s night nurse for the last few nights of his life. We felt so bad for him having this shift, knowing what we were going through in that room. Tears were constantly flowing, going from laughing to crying, back to laughing, but he always came into the room ready to do whatever he could for us to answer any questions we threw at him (which were a lot!) He was so attentive to my father’s needs, despite him being on a dilaudid drip and unresponsive. All of his daughters (3), brothers-in-law (2), wife, brother, and cousin were in the room the day before he passed away.
Before I left for the night, Emmanuel pulled me aside and apologized for what we were going through. He was so empathetic to my family. He told me how hard it was for him to keep it together every time he walked through the door to the room because he could feel the sadness and grief we were all experiencing. He told me he was being strong for us. He said he wanted to do anything and everything he could to make us, and my father, as comfortable as he could. He assured me he understood what we were going through and felt for every single one of us.
I am a radiation therapist, so, like Emmanuel, I unfortunately see a lot of death from cancer. I know how hard this is for families. I knew how hard this would be for my family as well. But nothing will prepare you for when it actually happens. Emmanuel going out of his way to assure comfort and calmness in my father’s last few hours of life was something we will be forever grateful for. The next morning, before finishing his shift, he sat down with my mother and gave her comfort as well. Talked her through the hardest part of her life. Took the time to listen and let her greave. He was unbelievable. I am so thankful for him. He deserves this award in every way possible.