Gina Bartolo, DNP, RN, CCRN

I wanted to take a minute to nominate Gina Bartolo for the compassionate perseverance that she showed when caring for a 17-year-old young man who was critically injured after a suicide attempt. Gina cared for this patient with focused expertise that was inspiring. She carefully managed the critical interventions needed to preserve his functioning and helped support and honor his and his family’s wishes for him to be an organ donor as he approached his end of life. Gina is a former adult ICU nurse who had participated in numerous honor walks in the adult arena, but this is not a service that we have ever offered to our pediatric patients. Gina was instrumental in continuously advocating for an honor walk for this teen. She worked closely with the adult ICU and her assistant nurse manager to coordinate the first PICU honor walk for a donor family, and the result was breathtaking. This patient’s family was so moved by the process that they made a significant gift of gratitude, recognizing so many on our PICU team for the care that was provided at the end of his life. Although a terrible outcome, Gina helped to ensure that his last moments were beautiful and meaningful to all.