December 2017
Heather
Esmon
,
RN
Critical Care Unit
SSM Health Southern IL
Mount Vernon
,
IL
United States
A critically ill patient on a balloon pump, who had no family, was very concerned about her little dog. The patient's prognosis was very poor and she was told that she would probably not return home. She was so upset, because she stated, "My dog is my world. What will happen to her when I die? I have no one and would love to be able to see her one last time." Heather comforted this patient and promised she would go get her dog and either bring it to the hospital or take a video and send it to the patient. The patient was transferred to Barnes that night. The next day, Heather went to the patient's house to pick up her dog. She then called the patient to let her know her dog was safe and then sent the patient a video of her dog. This may not seem like that big of a deal, but to this patient, it was her world.