April 2022
Grace
Winn
,
RN
Critical Care Unit
Parkwest Medical Center
Knoxville
,
TN
United States
Grace and Megan surrounded us with professionalism deeply tinged with empathy, wisdom, gentleness, and knowledge of what decision we all needed to make to move him out of pain and suffering.
The beginning of an ordinary weekend would present us with extraordinary circumstances accompanied and enriched by two remarkably exceptional nurses, Grace Winn and Megan Duncan, whose weekend of work would enrich our lives forever. These two women forged a pathway for my family member’s passing to be serene, peaceful, and comfortable with all of us by his side. Our paths diverged slowly. His daughter flew from Cork, Ireland, and his sister-in-law flew from Fort Wayne, Indiana. His sister and brother-in-law also drove in from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and his wife, the love of his life, was by his side navigating what would be the ending chapter of his life. Once we gathered as a family, both Grace and Megan surrounded us with professionalism deeply tinged with empathy, wisdom, gentleness, and knowledge of what decision we all needed to make to move him out of pain and suffering. Grace’s powerful words helped encourage us that we were making the right decision, and Megan was constantly by our side with support. Each of us that day found an angel, a friend, and a companion to guide us through his last hours. The miracle of these two women is that our dear family member was simply not just another patient in their care. We all gathered together in this extraordinary moment. The amazing part was that Grace and Megan offered these same gifts of spiritual, physical, and emotional support to every single patient they encountered. To all of us, their steadfast kindness and professional demeanor reminded us of how fortunate we all were to have our paths cross. Perhaps no one was more fortunate to cross their paths than him. They cared for him as if they knew him as if he were one of their family members. They also cared for his entire family exactly the same. We leaned on them and knew they would never let us down. We laughed and prayed with them. We also shared our life stories with them. Grace and Megan listened intently as if we were the most important people in the critical care unit. The truth be told, Grace and Megan were offering exactly the same quality of care to numbers of patients on these days. We are positive that as I write this letter today, Grace and Megan are dispensing comfort, care, and compassion to their new patients and family members. Those days began as an ordinary weekend and ended as a transformative one. Each of us will move back into our new normal lives and our journeys will continue. We will be forever linked to Grace Winn and Megan Duncan. Someone once said that when you are a nurse, you know every day you will touch a life. Grace Winn and Megan Duncan did just that and their imprints will be in our hearts forever. Thank you both.