Three days after bypass surgery, during the evening shift change, I went into a scary fib situation. I was frightened, and my heart was pounding like a jackhammer. I’m pretty sure my bed was shaking. Jacob was ending his shift as my RN when I hit the alert button that something was wrong. He was the first to arrive in my room and immediately took control of the situation.

The room quickly filled with RNs, CNAs, and other staff, some observing and others working to get me through it. It was a surreal scene, straight out of the cinema. Jacob was a rock. He calmly assessed the situation and messaged members of my surgery team. I think subconsciously, he was trying to get his finger taps on the keyboard to match my racing heartbeat (212 bpm). He reassured me that, despite what I was feeling, we were going to get through it. At one point, he even announced to the room what the plan was.

While it seemed like much longer, within about 30 minutes, my heart was back to beating in a more normal rhythm. The next day, Jacob was once again my RN. He apologized for not taking more time the day before to explain what had been happening. My wife and daughter both agreed that his focus on getting my heartbeat under control was far more important at that moment. Later that afternoon, I experienced some PVCs and other oddities with my heartbeat. Jacob spent about two and a half hours in my room getting me through it. Once again, he was calm, confident, and reassuring, helping me believe that this was only a temporary setback and that everything would be okay.

Jacob is an intelligent, calm, and caring young man, and he is an outstanding RN.