frenchetti barney, BSN, RN

This past year, my amazing Uncle peacefully passed away after an almost 2 year battle with stage 4 cancer. His hospital room was packed with many loved ones, but another special person there was his nurse, French. My Uncle spent many nights in the hospital over the last few months and although he has had many great nurses, French is one that stood out to me during this tough time. She was patient while we waited for one of his siblings to drive 14 hours to say goodbye to his brother. When it was time for us to remove his bi-pap machine, she explained the process and what we might expect. She stood by the doorway while we all held each other and cried. After he took his final breath, she listened to his heart and confirmed that he had passed away. She hugged my aunt, and compassion exuded from her in an extremely vulnerable moment for our family. She told us to take our time and that she would be there if we needed anything. In the hallway, my father and grandfather were standing since the room was so full of visitors. She hugged my grandpa and wanted to make sure they were okay and gave my dad a handful of candy. These small acts of kindness show how caring French is as a person, and it is appreciated more than she will know. It may seem like something that she practices every day, but it meant that much more to our family. I hope French knows how much of an impact she has made our family during this tough time.