Jason Lo
October 2023
Jason
Lo
,
RN
Emergency Department
UCSF Medical Center
San Francisco
,
CA
United States
He spoke to us about our feelings and concerns and made sure we were treated as human beings - not just an illness.
My father has stage 4 bone cancer and was brought into the emergency department. We only worked with Jason Lo for a few hours in the early morning, but during those couple of hours, he made us feel reassured and like we were part of his own family. I know I bothered him with countless questions that seemed redundant and pointless, and definitely, a few accidentally repeated questions, but he answered them in such a calm matter-of-fact way for us. He didn’t try to hide anything and clearly explained what was found, what we were waiting for, and what the future of care was going to be. I could tell he was busy - at times, I saw him briskly moving down hallways with arms full of supplies - but every time I stopped him, he would smile and ask me what I needed.
We were in a shared room, and the patient was also under his care. The other patient clearly had some memory problems and would interrupt while Jason was speaking with us. Jason was so incredibly calm and kind to the other patient as well and would spend time reassuring them that everything was alright and that they were in a safe space. He took his time to reposition my father to help his breathing and would explain everything he was doing as it happened.
These small actions really reassured my father and me because being in the emergency setting is always filled with unknowns. I know that he was incredibly occupied with three other patients in addition to my father, but every single time we spoke, I felt as if my father was of the highest priority to him. Not only did he take care of my father, who was his patient, but he went above and beyond to help bring me a blanket as well as water. He expressed his concerns for me as a caregiver and told me that I am also appreciated for the things I do outside of the hospital for my father. Every time he would check on my father, he made sure my needs were addressed as well. He spoke to us about our feelings and concerns and made sure we were treated as human beings - not just an illness. Before he left, he stopped by and reviewed all the things that we were waiting for, answered any last questions, and stopped by to say goodbye.
In our position and situation that just seemed so dark, he was a bright, shining light that helped us through.
We were in a shared room, and the patient was also under his care. The other patient clearly had some memory problems and would interrupt while Jason was speaking with us. Jason was so incredibly calm and kind to the other patient as well and would spend time reassuring them that everything was alright and that they were in a safe space. He took his time to reposition my father to help his breathing and would explain everything he was doing as it happened.
These small actions really reassured my father and me because being in the emergency setting is always filled with unknowns. I know that he was incredibly occupied with three other patients in addition to my father, but every single time we spoke, I felt as if my father was of the highest priority to him. Not only did he take care of my father, who was his patient, but he went above and beyond to help bring me a blanket as well as water. He expressed his concerns for me as a caregiver and told me that I am also appreciated for the things I do outside of the hospital for my father. Every time he would check on my father, he made sure my needs were addressed as well. He spoke to us about our feelings and concerns and made sure we were treated as human beings - not just an illness. Before he left, he stopped by and reviewed all the things that we were waiting for, answered any last questions, and stopped by to say goodbye.
In our position and situation that just seemed so dark, he was a bright, shining light that helped us through.