Kahli D. Nadeau
February 2022
Kahli
Nadeau
,
ASN, RN
ICU
St. Mary's Regional Medical Center
Lewiston
,
ME
United States
Kahli gave me encouragement when I needed it most, hope when I thought all was lost and she helped me to realize that with the love, care, and compassion I could get through this.
I came to St. Mary’s desperately seeking help, I was having such a hard time breathing. It felt like no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t catch my breath. Then the news came… “I’m afraid you are rather ill with Coronavirus” my heart dropped as I was shocked and in disbelief. I knew I hadn’t opted to get the vaccine, but I was wearing my mask everywhere, I washed my hands all the time and socially distanced myself from others as much as I could. Was this real? Or was I just having a bad dream? I don’t think the reality of it all hit me for a little bit but when I got my room in all became very real very quickly.
The nurses, the doctors, the laboratory staff, and anyone who came into my room had to put on lots of stuff to protect themselves against what I had. I have known so many people who have died of COVID, was I going to be next? As I continued to battle these thoughts in my own head, the nurses in ICU started to build relationships with me in a way that I was important to them. They treated me with kindness, respect, and never made me feel as though I was at fault for this.
Over my 20 days in the ICU one nurse consistently stood above the rest. One nurse always made me feel more than a patient, almost as if I was her own family member. She treated me with respect, compassion, and understanding. She would acknowledge my heavy heart and pull up a chair (yes even with all her PPE on) and sit down close to me, taking time out of her busy day just to talk to me about what was bothering me on the inside. She gave me encouragement when I needed it most, hope when I thought all was lost and she helped me to realize that with the love, care, and compassion of people like her at St. Mary’s I could get through this. Kahli treated me like I was her own father, she pushed me when I needed it (with early mobilization and movement) and would sit and talk to me when my spirit was broken or when I was scared, depressed, and hopeless.
Today I am being discharged home from the hospital all because Kahli (along with the rest of the ICU team) helped and supported me physically, mentally, and emotionally to live through one of the scariest experiences of my lifetime. Metaphorically speaking there were many days when I felt like Kahli had just tucked me under her wings just to help me make it through the day. I think it is worth mentioning that even though I sincerely felt Kahli was giving me the royal treatment, I was never her only patient; to the contrary, I would always see how busy she was every shift but that never stopped her from consistently going above and beyond her call of duty for me.
Kahli is far more than a nurse: I would say she is an angel in disguise. At least when It comes to me and my battle with COVID, Kahli is/was the angel who gave me my 2nd shot at life. May God bless Kahli, the ICU team, and all the wonderful people of St. Mary’s.
The nurses, the doctors, the laboratory staff, and anyone who came into my room had to put on lots of stuff to protect themselves against what I had. I have known so many people who have died of COVID, was I going to be next? As I continued to battle these thoughts in my own head, the nurses in ICU started to build relationships with me in a way that I was important to them. They treated me with kindness, respect, and never made me feel as though I was at fault for this.
Over my 20 days in the ICU one nurse consistently stood above the rest. One nurse always made me feel more than a patient, almost as if I was her own family member. She treated me with respect, compassion, and understanding. She would acknowledge my heavy heart and pull up a chair (yes even with all her PPE on) and sit down close to me, taking time out of her busy day just to talk to me about what was bothering me on the inside. She gave me encouragement when I needed it most, hope when I thought all was lost and she helped me to realize that with the love, care, and compassion of people like her at St. Mary’s I could get through this. Kahli treated me like I was her own father, she pushed me when I needed it (with early mobilization and movement) and would sit and talk to me when my spirit was broken or when I was scared, depressed, and hopeless.
Today I am being discharged home from the hospital all because Kahli (along with the rest of the ICU team) helped and supported me physically, mentally, and emotionally to live through one of the scariest experiences of my lifetime. Metaphorically speaking there were many days when I felt like Kahli had just tucked me under her wings just to help me make it through the day. I think it is worth mentioning that even though I sincerely felt Kahli was giving me the royal treatment, I was never her only patient; to the contrary, I would always see how busy she was every shift but that never stopped her from consistently going above and beyond her call of duty for me.
Kahli is far more than a nurse: I would say she is an angel in disguise. At least when It comes to me and my battle with COVID, Kahli is/was the angel who gave me my 2nd shot at life. May God bless Kahli, the ICU team, and all the wonderful people of St. Mary’s.