Erin Moran is a true DAISY Nurse and representative of UCHealth's values. Throughout our father/father-in-law D's hospitalization, she could not have been more compassionate. From the moment Erin met D, and the rest of the family, she was attentive and kind. She took the time to get to know him and what brought us to this point in time. She listened carefully to D and each member of the family to develop a plan of care making everyone feel comfortable and secure; especially D who has struggled for over a year with his mortality while grappling with the side effects of chemotherapy and pain. Erin understood that as a family we would support him whether his decision was- to fight against his ailing body or choose to aggressively treat his pain and spend his last days with his family and friends by his side. Erin effectively and professionally communicated D's medical condition with expertise so that everyone was able to understand. Her explanations helped the entire family understand what we were up against in what turned out to be our final round with D's cancer diagnosis.
One night his pain reached a concerning level and in the morning when Erin came back on shift, she showed us again how much she cared for our dad by calling us, advocating for him and developing a plan to respond to his current needs. It was this morning that D finally voiced he was at peace with letting go. Again, Erin took us by the hand and walked us through what we could expect. The trusting connection we all developed with her helped guide us through some of our most difficult times. D voiced that besides going home, his biggest wish was to go outside. At this point in his physical condition, this seemed like an insurmountable task, however, Erin was determined to grant his request. It was not a small undertaking, but before the end of the day, Erin had D in the 5th-floor atrium with his family by his side looking at the Rocky Mountains and breathing in his so desperately needed Colorado air. D was surrounded by his family and Erin graciously took a requested photo to capture this moment. She patiently waited for him to be prepared to go back in, but it became apparent that he would never be ready to leave this beautiful scene. Erin was so gentle and kind as we finally had to tell our dad it was time to go. At the time, we didn't know, but Erin had granted our father his last wish. The next morning, we were all greeted with brief good mornings and that was the last time he spoke with any of us, as the pain medications increased to control his pain. That afternoon as we prepped our father for transport to the hospice facility, Erin was there working behind the scenes calling report and ensuring every last detail was perfect for the next leg of our journey. Erin handed over her care to the transport team, and with a heartfelt hug, she sent us all on our way.
This chapter in our lives was blessed by the compassion, excellence, and integrity of this amazing nurse. Although we met many Extraordinary Nurses and providers at this UCHealth facility over the last year, Erin stands out as the best of the best! Our family owes this incredible nurse a great deal of gratitude and appreciation. Thank you, Erin, for exemplifying the UCHealth mission in showing that you go above and beyond to improve lives!