Greg Waltz
August 2021
Gregory
Waltz
,
RN
6 East Inpatient Behavioral Health
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland
Pontiac
,
MI
United States

 

 

 

The kindness he has shown to me, my brother, my uncle, but especially my Mom, will forever be indelibly etched in our hearts and minds.
My mother was a patient in your hospital. During her stay she, unfortunately, had a difficult period whereby our family was informed that she was uncommunicative, combative, agitated, suffering from insomnia, not eating or drinking, incontinent, and refusing her medication. Naturally learning this news came as a complete shock as we knew the condition she was in when she entered the hospital. Her physical and mental health had seriously declined. During her stay, it was determined that she had become dehydrated and would require moving floors in order to receive intravenous fluids. Once the treatment was complete she was transferred back to the original floor she had been admitted to. The very day she returned, I received an update from the nurse that she was confused, agitated, and unable to be redirected. It was incredibly upsetting to hear that she was once again not eating and refusing to take her prescribed medication. An entire week went by with her seemingly behaving in the same manner and no one being able to offer any diagnosis or treatment plan. One month to the day of her being admitted, our family received a call from a physician advising us that we had 2 options concerning her care. 1. Consent to a surgery to insert a feeding tube. 2. Consent to hospice care. Without question, this phone call was completely gut-wrenching and painful to hear. We were left feeling confused and frightened about making either decision, but mostly because we believed that she was not herself and could perhaps be "rejuvenated", not willing to entertain either of them. During my mother's hospitalization, I have had the opportunity of speaking with many nurses, a social worker, a clinical house supervisor, a patient advocate, a nurse manager, a nurse practitioner, and a doctor. I realize that there have been numerous people associated with her care. To all those individuals, I would like to express my appreciation and offer you my respect. Thank you for your help the times that I called asking for an update or the chance to have my mom hear my voice. I know your jobs are time-consuming and at times quite difficult. 
 That same weekend Mom was being taken care of by Greg. He is someone who has excellent communication skills and the ability to explain a medical situation to a family member with no medical background. Greg was also extremely patient each time we spoke and very willing to give a brief explanation later if there had been changes or developments. The kindness he has shown to me, my brother, my uncle, but especially my Mom, will forever be indelibly etched in our hearts and minds. Life is hard. There is so much uncertainty and unknown in the world today. We all have our stressful times and of course, then there's Covid. I wanted to take this opportunity to make sure that Greg knows that he did more than he could ever know for a grief-stricken family this past weekend. The professionalism, the manner in which he spoke, and the offering of beneficial suggestions have not gone unnoticed. I hope so very much that he will in some way receive recognition from his peers and perhaps a superior. He is an asset to the Healthcare team and is deserving of so much when it comes to doing his job well. Greg is an exemplary human being and has displayed unique understanding, compassion, and dedication.