Javed Vahora
April 2023
Javed
Vahora
,
BSN, RN
CCU
Penn Medicine Princeton Health
Plainsboro
,
NJ
United States
I believe he empathically felt our pain and shared in our grief.
My Mother celebrated her 94th birthday in February. 4 days later, on Monday, Mom suffered a massive Hemorrhagic stroke and was admitted to the Critical Care unit.
Although Mom never regained consciousness, I am sure she felt the kind and compassionate care she received around the clock. Each and every Nurse, Doctor, and Hospice associate was amazing in their care of not only my Mom but of me as well.
And yet ... one Nurse stood out above the rest and that was Javed.
I met Javed at the beginning of his shift on Friday. After nearly 5 days of care, it was becoming clear that Mom's very strong will to live was losing the battle to the physical damage of the stroke. Throughout the day, Javed answered my questions with the knowledge of a practiced physician, while choosing his words carefully so as not to overburden me with too many details. He checked Mom often and each time offered more informative words of comfort.
As the day continued, Mom's breathing and vital signs deteriorated further. Javed checked in often, despite having a full patient load that day. He administered medications, as prescribed by the Doctor and Hospice Nurse to keep Mom as comfortable as possible, even remarking that she seemed so very comfortable he hoped it would be the same for him one day.
At the very end, as Mom took her last breath, Javed listened to her heart and told me that it was barely beating. He added that the heart is the essence of a person and that she might still be able to hear me.
After a brief, but tearful goodbye, Javed confirmed she was gone. Javed looked very sad and I believe he was weeping, as was I. After the Doctor confirmed Mom's death, my Husband and I spent a few minutes alone with her.
When we met Javed in the hallway a short time later, he was still visibly upset. After several hugs, I asked him about his sadness and he said that a life had ended and even though he didn't know my Mom or me very well, a connection was made that day. I believe he empathically felt our pain and shared in our grief.
In my opinion, Javed's capacity for compassion and empathy, coupled with a great knowledge of the difficult work he does, deserves special recognition.
Although Mom never regained consciousness, I am sure she felt the kind and compassionate care she received around the clock. Each and every Nurse, Doctor, and Hospice associate was amazing in their care of not only my Mom but of me as well.
And yet ... one Nurse stood out above the rest and that was Javed.
I met Javed at the beginning of his shift on Friday. After nearly 5 days of care, it was becoming clear that Mom's very strong will to live was losing the battle to the physical damage of the stroke. Throughout the day, Javed answered my questions with the knowledge of a practiced physician, while choosing his words carefully so as not to overburden me with too many details. He checked Mom often and each time offered more informative words of comfort.
As the day continued, Mom's breathing and vital signs deteriorated further. Javed checked in often, despite having a full patient load that day. He administered medications, as prescribed by the Doctor and Hospice Nurse to keep Mom as comfortable as possible, even remarking that she seemed so very comfortable he hoped it would be the same for him one day.
At the very end, as Mom took her last breath, Javed listened to her heart and told me that it was barely beating. He added that the heart is the essence of a person and that she might still be able to hear me.
After a brief, but tearful goodbye, Javed confirmed she was gone. Javed looked very sad and I believe he was weeping, as was I. After the Doctor confirmed Mom's death, my Husband and I spent a few minutes alone with her.
When we met Javed in the hallway a short time later, he was still visibly upset. After several hugs, I asked him about his sadness and he said that a life had ended and even though he didn't know my Mom or me very well, a connection was made that day. I believe he empathically felt our pain and shared in our grief.
In my opinion, Javed's capacity for compassion and empathy, coupled with a great knowledge of the difficult work he does, deserves special recognition.