Kara is the total package. Her gentle and kind spirit is evident in everything she does. She has an incredible sense of empathy and compassion toward not only our son but toward us as well. She has mastered being warm and comforting while at the same time being incredibly professional. The level of care Kara provides each time she is our nurse serves to solidify out trust in her. We have seen her in action when our child needs just basic care as well in emergency situations - and she handles each situation with amazing ease. She is a confident, capable member of his care team. She readily speaks up on our son's behalf, and this is incredibly reassuring to us.
From the first time Kara was our son's nurse, something just clicked between us. She immediately began getting to know us as a family and by the end of the shift it was as if she were an old friend. Her connection with us doesn't end with her shift. Kara will stop by to see our son and talk to him. It is not likely that our son will have a good outcome and we've been encouraged to make a wish list for him. One of our wishes was for him to get to experience the outdoors and meet one of his dogs. Kara came in on her day off to share in that special day. As he experiences additional firsts on his wish list, she wants to be there as much as possible and it's important to us that she be there. It wouldn't be the same without her.
Kara has always made a point of making sure we know the best and safest ways to care for our child. She doesn't only tell us how to do things, but shows us and encourages hands on involvement. When discussions began for a trach and g-tube, she immediately got the doll and showed us what would be involved. We were encouraged from the start to begin practicing care on the doll and she took the time to watch to make sure we were doing it correctly as well as offering us continual reassurance. We were fortunate to have her back shortly after the surgeries. Again she had us actively assist in the care, carefully walking us through each step.
One day we thought our son was going to earn his wings. The situation was so grave, his doctors didn't feel he would last long enough for family to get up to meet him. Kara's gentle and kind spirit helped ease an incredibly stressful situation. At all times she made sure we knew what was being done and what was being discussed. Though he miraculously turned a corner before her shift came to an end, she requested to stay an additional four hours (which turned into five) not only for our son but for us as well. She wanted to be there for as long as we needed her. He had another close call a few days later and again she stayed to see us all through the scariest and most stressful parts of the day.
Kara keeps us involved in everything regarding our child's care. We are made aware of what is being kept the same, changes and plans in regards to his care. She does her best to let us know what the thinking is behind changes. We never feel like she discounts us as parents and acknowledges that we know our child best. She asks for our input and truly listens to what we are saying. If we have any questions she answers them if possible, or does her best to find the answer.