Our mom was admitted to Perry Memorial for what was supposed to be some antibiotics for a day or two to fight an infection. Instead, her health took a turn for the worse, and after 12 long days, our mom passed peacefully. While it has now been 4 months since our mom passed away, the memories of those last few weeks of her life are vivid. The sadness remains and will lessen with time, but we will never forget the care she received on 2nd Floor by everyone - nurses, CNAs, housekeeping, Physical Therapy, and so on. It wasn't just care, it was the caring nature of the care that she received. Nurses and CNAs are charged with providing the best medical care possible. They don't have to care about how the patient is feeling, or who that patient is, or how the family is doing during this time of need. But that is exactly what they did.
When you are in the hospital for 12 straight days, more than one nurse will make an impact. One night, when we weren't sure our mom would make it through the night, here came the 11 pm nurse. She looked so familiar to us and we soon realized it was Hannah Mellentine - the angel that had been the nurse for our mom just 9 months earlier when she was in the hospital. During that February stay, our mom was confused, did not even know her daughters, and trusted no one. Hannah was so kind and took the time to sit and talk to her and was able to gain mom's trust. Here we were 9 months later and there she was again - just when we all needed her. Truly a sense of comfort came over my sister and me. During some of our darkest moments, often in the middle of the night, Hannah was there to comfort our mom and us. She talked to mom like she was her own grandma. Our mom would muster a smile and run her fingers through Hannah's hair, something she enjoyed doing with her daughters and grandchildren.
As our mom's health declined, we were faced with those tough decisions families hope they don't have to go through. Hannah was the ray of sunshine for us each time she was working. She helped us understand things and was truly supportive through these times. Most importantly, she advocated for our mom when the time came to consider moving our mom to Comfort Care. Somehow, when we thought we were going to need to figure out how all the Comfort Care was going to work, we found out she was able to stay in her same room with the same caring nurses and CNAs that she'd been having all along. It is not often that you are experiencing one of your saddest moments, and yet have positive memories as well. Hannah will always be that nurse that made an incredible difference in our mom's life, and the life of my sister and me during those days in February, and her last days in November.
In addition to the quality medical care she provided, it was holding her swollen hand, or smiling even when she was coming in for the 5th time in the middle of the night to help her go the bathroom or providing a needed blanket or hug to one of us. She is truly an unsung hero and, in our minds, an angel.
Thank you, Hannah!