Nurse Manager Martina Hartley and Espy Niyoyankunze
July 2013
Espy
Niyoyankunze
,
RN
Med/Surg - 11ER
Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University
Columbus
,
OH
United States
...There is one particular story that stays in my heart on a daily basis and I believe is the root of what a caring nurse truly is. We had a patient on our unit who was dying. This man was in liver failure, had accepted his fate and made the decision to let go. The sad part is that the man's family, instead of rushing to the hospital to be with him, instead were engaged in disputes with his girlfriend over his things. The entire morning, while this poor man sat in the hospital actively dying, his family bombarded him with phone calls asking about this thing or that. Meanwhile, there sat Espy, at his bedside; not concerned with med passes or charting, only with comforting her patient in his last moments of life.
She knows the true meaning of life and death. She knows that death, like birth, should never be faced alone. So, while the man's own children were engaged in a battle over his earthly things, Espy sat at his bedside. Holding his hand. Singing to him. Praying with him. Providing love and support on a basic human level. No one deserves to die alone. Espy made sure that this man was not alone in the last hours of his life.
The thing is, his family did eventually show up, once the man had passed and do you think Espy held it against them that they were not here for their dad in his last moments? No. She stayed with them as they grieved. Holding their hands. Praying with them. Showing them love and support as they dealt with the loss of someone they loved.
Nursing is a very challenging profession, but once in awhile you come across a situation like this, to make a difference like this and it makes everything worth it. Espy handled this situation with such style and grace, that I'm not sure others would have. This is the story I think of when I think of the great nurse that Espy is. On a daily basis you can talk to any one of her patients and they will tell you how great she is. The comfort she provides by just singing to them. Espy is a great nurse and I can think of no nurse more deserving of the DAISY Award than her.
She knows the true meaning of life and death. She knows that death, like birth, should never be faced alone. So, while the man's own children were engaged in a battle over his earthly things, Espy sat at his bedside. Holding his hand. Singing to him. Praying with him. Providing love and support on a basic human level. No one deserves to die alone. Espy made sure that this man was not alone in the last hours of his life.
The thing is, his family did eventually show up, once the man had passed and do you think Espy held it against them that they were not here for their dad in his last moments? No. She stayed with them as they grieved. Holding their hands. Praying with them. Showing them love and support as they dealt with the loss of someone they loved.
Nursing is a very challenging profession, but once in awhile you come across a situation like this, to make a difference like this and it makes everything worth it. Espy handled this situation with such style and grace, that I'm not sure others would have. This is the story I think of when I think of the great nurse that Espy is. On a daily basis you can talk to any one of her patients and they will tell you how great she is. The comfort she provides by just singing to them. Espy is a great nurse and I can think of no nurse more deserving of the DAISY Award than her.