Kaitlin McCarthy, RN

My 39-year-old brother had a massive stroke. We were lucky enough to have Kaitlin as a nurse for a couple of days. She was constantly kind and compassionate. She kept us informed in a timely manner. One night she worked late to make sure that his CT scan was done and that he had dinner delivered after his test. He had vision changes and she responded quickly to his change in neuro status. My brother has a significant psych history. He has debilitating anxiety that often leaves him unable to function in his day-to-day life.

Kaitlin listened to both his and our concerns about the way his mental health was being neglected. She recognized that if his mental illness were not addressed during his hospital stay along with his physical health he would not be able to perform physical therapy, go to his follow-up appointments, or take his medications. He would never again have a good quality of life. Kaitlin advocated for him to have a psych evaluation while in the NCCU so that by the time he was physically ready to be discharged from the hospital, he would also be mentally well enough to tackle the long challenging road ahead of him that he faced as a stroke survivor.