I was hospitalized last month for a pulmonary embolism. It was my first time experiencing a major medical problem (I’m 44 years old), my first visit to the Emergency Room, and my first time being a patient in the hospital. Everything was new to me and I had a lot of questions. In the span of just a couple of hours, I was told about my pulmonary embolism, the procedure that was going to be used to remove it, and told that I would be in the Intensive Care Unit for at least 2 - 3 days. It was a lot to take in. Thankfully, every single nurse, doctor, and/or specialist was absolutely amazing!!! The first I would like to recognize is a charge nurse named John. I was admitted to the ICU when John was on duty. He was the day charge nurse who worked from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the ICU. During my stay in the ICU, John was like a strong and calm pillar of strength. A retired firefighter/paramedic who turned ICU nurse, John was so knowledgeable in his craft, but never came across as arrogant. He was there to care for and support me during an unknown and stressful time.

One of my favorite characteristics about John was his willingness to help others learn. John had a younger nurse shadowing him. The way John took him under his wing and explained things to him, instructed him, encouraged him to learn, advocated for the young nurse to be in my procedure, and even quizzed him was so wonderful! As a teacher of middle school students, it was so refreshing to see people in the adult world teaching others and passing on their knowledge. John did this with many people during my stay - including the hospital pharmacist, who came up to my hospital room to learn about the medication I was being given.

After my procedure, I saw the tables turn as John became the learner and worked to become certified (by NW Hospital Houghton standards) in the administration of TPA, the medication that was being injected into me to break up the blood clot. The way he embraced becoming more knowledgeable in an area already known to him was inspiring. John will always be one of those people that I remember as being a true servant leader.

On the day of my discharge, it was John who let me know the gravity of what I had just been through - and the gift that I was given in being okay. Along with encouraging me to make some lifestyle changes to prevent further complications/recurrence of a blood clot, John was like that encouraging (but tough) coach who puts you back into the game and says, “You got this!"