I'm a 36-year-old healthy vaccinated and fit male. Unfortunately, in Mid-September I tested positive for COVID. My case quickly escalated to having sub-massive nearly occlusive blood clots in my lungs. It was a scary near-death experience with my heart responding in a near-heart attack state. My journey to receive treatment wasn't easy either. It involved 2 separate ER visits, where the first visit missed the tell-tale signs that I was having some serious issues. I spent a night and 2 days in the ICU on a heparin drip, ultimately receiving a cath procedure to manually extract the largest of the clots from my lungs. Throughout the process, it was challenging to understand what to expect from the procedure and for my recovery.

The three days before becoming John’s patient were filled with uncertainty discomfort and fear, in stepped John. He felt like a true advocate and friend in a scary position. He actively advocated making sure all my questions and concerns were addressed by the team often having to hunt them down for hours since they were often in surgery. He ensured that my concerns about wound care or removal of the device they placed to hold the stitches were addressed until I felt comfortable with the instructions to go home. When I had concerns about some of the care that I had received he contacted the charge nurse and made sure we had contact information for patient relations so that the hospital could learn from my experience. We knew he was having a busy shift, but he never made us feel like he was rushed or compromising his high standards of care.

John exceeded our expectations and above all he truly listened to me. It was the first time in my stay that I felt as though I did not have to be advocating for my own care and generally felt like a human. John is an excellent nurse. I wish him well in his nursing pursuits and woodworking hobbies. He is beyond talented in both.

Note: This is John's 2nd DAISY Award!