Jean Reidl
September 2020
Jean
Reidl
,
RN, BSN
Center for Professional Practice & Development
SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital - Madison
Madison
,
WI
United States
About 30 years ago I had back surgery. I had a lot of pain due to spasms. Jean was my nurse for the 3:00 shift. She explained to myself and husband what was causing the spasms and kept me comfortable. Not only with medications, but through just talking about our children and helping me move to get comfortable.
My husband had to leave and wouldn't be able to return until around 1:00 am when his sister was able to come over. Jean sat with me after her shift because she knew how frightened and anxious I was until my husband returned around 1:15 am. The next morning she popped into my room at 7:30 just as comforting and cheerful wondering how the rest of my night went. Little did I realize she was my nurse that day. Which put me at ease.
I saw her in church about 6 months later and thanked her and told her how meaningful it was to have her there. She just smiled and said thank you.
Fast forward 3 years later. A friend of mine had a hysterectomy. As I spoke with her she said that she may need a blood transfusion and was petrified. This time was the beginning of AIDS. She told me that her nurse explained the blood was safe and that she would be there with her to make sure everything went ok. Well, she didn't need blood until the next day. The nurse who promised to be there was off. I went to visit her and suddenly a nurse popped in. Surprisingly, it was Jean. She had called the floor to see if my friend needed blood. It was her day off but came in and sat with her for an hour after they started the blood. My friend couldn't believe it. I could!
Now fast forward to the beginning of this year. Our daughter was having our first grandchild! As we were hurrying to get to the elevators we realized we had no idea where to go. All of a sudden someone said can I help you? She gave us directions to get to our daughter's room to see our grandchild be born. When things calmed down my husband said, "Do you know who that was that gave us directions?" I thought about it and we both smiled and said, "Jean."
You see, even through time she has made a huge impact on our lives and those of our friends and family. These may seem small to you, but to us, she represents the compassion, respect, and support that every nurse should provide.
My husband had to leave and wouldn't be able to return until around 1:00 am when his sister was able to come over. Jean sat with me after her shift because she knew how frightened and anxious I was until my husband returned around 1:15 am. The next morning she popped into my room at 7:30 just as comforting and cheerful wondering how the rest of my night went. Little did I realize she was my nurse that day. Which put me at ease.
I saw her in church about 6 months later and thanked her and told her how meaningful it was to have her there. She just smiled and said thank you.
Fast forward 3 years later. A friend of mine had a hysterectomy. As I spoke with her she said that she may need a blood transfusion and was petrified. This time was the beginning of AIDS. She told me that her nurse explained the blood was safe and that she would be there with her to make sure everything went ok. Well, she didn't need blood until the next day. The nurse who promised to be there was off. I went to visit her and suddenly a nurse popped in. Surprisingly, it was Jean. She had called the floor to see if my friend needed blood. It was her day off but came in and sat with her for an hour after they started the blood. My friend couldn't believe it. I could!
Now fast forward to the beginning of this year. Our daughter was having our first grandchild! As we were hurrying to get to the elevators we realized we had no idea where to go. All of a sudden someone said can I help you? She gave us directions to get to our daughter's room to see our grandchild be born. When things calmed down my husband said, "Do you know who that was that gave us directions?" I thought about it and we both smiled and said, "Jean."
You see, even through time she has made a huge impact on our lives and those of our friends and family. These may seem small to you, but to us, she represents the compassion, respect, and support that every nurse should provide.