I came to KU to have a colectomy. Shortly after prep, Erica saw my heart rate fluctuate majorly and ordered blood labs (a full rainbow) as she said at the time. If she hadn’t made anesthesia aware of it, they wouldn’t have known, and I feel I may have passed at some point in the process.

It turned out that my heart did stop for 12 seconds, and staff stepped in to revive me. Erica’s awareness and attention, with no alarms on that I heard, probably saved my life.

Jump to my current stay, I came in for a retry after visiting cardiology and being approved. Who was there, Erica! What are the chances? Same nurse in the same bay. She took great care of me and this time I had a successful surgery. As I sit here, I’m thinking about how grateful I am to Erica for saving me, not only for my life, but for my wife, kids, and grandkids, as well as other family and friends.

I think it’s been an experience to help me realize how loved I am. Maybe even more than I thought. And, to me, that is a huge part of my life. Thank you, Erica for your professionalism and work ethic that shows up so well.