My wife was taken by ambulance to the Emergency Room at Abington Hospital in the winter. She was quickly diagnosed by the physicians there, and I met with Dr. Perez, who clearly explained the situation and outlined options for my wife's care.
As her condition was critical and imminently terminal, she was moved to the Widener Building late that night and was put on morphine for comfort. This is where I first encountered nurses Nicole and Geena.
The nurses exhibited the utmost calm, professionalism, and heartfelt empathy for my wife and me. They did everything possible to welcome me, and our children, into the room so that we could be with her in the last hours of her life. The nurses later made up a bed for me to spend the night. Nicole and Geena, while skillfully doing their work, not only provided calm and comfort for my wife, but for us as well. It seemed to us that we were the only family in the hospital that night, we felt so specially and individually cared for.
My wife passed peacefully. Nicole sat with me in the room after her passing. The conversation we had over that hour was of great comfort. When my children returned to Abington Hospital early that morning, Geena unexpectedly went out of her way to personally greet them with compassion and tenderness. My family and I are grateful and feel truly blessed that we were allowed to spend my wife's final hours with her in such a caring environment. We believe that my wife felt the compassion and concern of these nurses during her final hours. We could not have asked for more.
In our current environment, with so many challenges facing medical professionals in so many ways, Nicole and Geena's demeanor, behavior, knowledge, and attitude conveyed to us that extraordinary medical care is alive and well, even under very difficult circumstances.