August 2026 Honoree
Garth Leadbetter, MSN, RN, CHPN
A patient on the ACE Unit was extremely ill, and her family had been struggling with what her wishes would be in this situation. The patient was a 74-year-old woman with end-stage renal failure on hemodialysis and vasculitis. She was admitted in mid-January with a GI bleed and an acute infection.
Her course had been extraordinarily complex and difficult, including a massive spontaneous hemorrhage into her right chest wall that deformed the contours of her chest and required embolization, an impacted gallstone causing acute pancreatitis, an intra-abdominal infection, and florid delirium.
Despite her encephalopathy and sedation from pain medications, she would call out that she didn't want to be touched and had had enough. It pained the hearts of her clinicians to see her suffer, and regardless of what we did, her chances of returning home were poor. However, her last known code status was Full Code, and she no longer had the capacity to change it, requiring her family to speak on her behalf.
Palliative care was, of course, involved, but the family dynamics were challenging. Her common-law husband urged her to continue fighting and wanted the medical team to do everything possible to bring her through this, even if it included surgery, intubation, and critical care in the ICU. In contrast, her daughter was leaning toward less aggressive measures.
The patient had a large, involved family, and due to visitation restrictions, it had not been possible to hold a meeting where everyone could see her, observe her condition, and understand the reality of her situation. As a result, confusion developed because the wider family was receiving mixed messages from the two individuals who had been able to visit her room during the month-long hospitalization.
Nurse Garth Leadbetter made arrangements to take this patient to the Healing Garden. In this peaceful outdoor space, she was able to see and speak what may have been her final words to her entire extended family. On a beautiful sunny day, her family gathered around her and spent an hour at her side.
Because of Garth's extraordinary efforts to connect a patient with her loved ones and provide patient- and family-centered care during a time of significant limitations, a breakthrough was made in the patient's care plan. The family gained a clearer understanding of what she had been enduring and what she would truly want. We received word today that the patient is now DNR and will receive comfort-focused care.
I want to extend my deepest appreciation to RN Garth Leadbetter for going above and beyond expectations to make this remarkable event possible and for remaining at the side of this critically ill woman throughout it all.
The ACE service physicians and the palliative care team had been working diligently to help the family find peace and consensus regarding the path forward, but it was Garth's actions that made this breakthrough possible. That hour in the sun, surrounded by family in the UCH Healing Garden, was the most important medicine that could have been delivered. I am profoundly grateful to Garth for making it possible.
Her course had been extraordinarily complex and difficult, including a massive spontaneous hemorrhage into her right chest wall that deformed the contours of her chest and required embolization, an impacted gallstone causing acute pancreatitis, an intra-abdominal infection, and florid delirium.
Despite her encephalopathy and sedation from pain medications, she would call out that she didn't want to be touched and had had enough. It pained the hearts of her clinicians to see her suffer, and regardless of what we did, her chances of returning home were poor. However, her last known code status was Full Code, and she no longer had the capacity to change it, requiring her family to speak on her behalf.
Palliative care was, of course, involved, but the family dynamics were challenging. Her common-law husband urged her to continue fighting and wanted the medical team to do everything possible to bring her through this, even if it included surgery, intubation, and critical care in the ICU. In contrast, her daughter was leaning toward less aggressive measures.
The patient had a large, involved family, and due to visitation restrictions, it had not been possible to hold a meeting where everyone could see her, observe her condition, and understand the reality of her situation. As a result, confusion developed because the wider family was receiving mixed messages from the two individuals who had been able to visit her room during the month-long hospitalization.
Nurse Garth Leadbetter made arrangements to take this patient to the Healing Garden. In this peaceful outdoor space, she was able to see and speak what may have been her final words to her entire extended family. On a beautiful sunny day, her family gathered around her and spent an hour at her side.
Because of Garth's extraordinary efforts to connect a patient with her loved ones and provide patient- and family-centered care during a time of significant limitations, a breakthrough was made in the patient's care plan. The family gained a clearer understanding of what she had been enduring and what she would truly want. We received word today that the patient is now DNR and will receive comfort-focused care.
I want to extend my deepest appreciation to RN Garth Leadbetter for going above and beyond expectations to make this remarkable event possible and for remaining at the side of this critically ill woman throughout it all.
The ACE service physicians and the palliative care team had been working diligently to help the family find peace and consensus regarding the path forward, but it was Garth's actions that made this breakthrough possible. That hour in the sun, surrounded by family in the UCH Healing Garden, was the most important medicine that could have been delivered. I am profoundly grateful to Garth for making it possible.
Thank you, Garth, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
View More Honorees