Karen Smith
September 2021
Karen L.
Smith
,
RN
Medical Oncology Specialty Unit
Carle BroMenn Medical Center
Normal
,
IL
United States

 

 

 

Karen Smith not only answered all of our concerns and questions, but she also reached out on several occasions to update us on his progress.
Our 80-year-old father was a patient on the fifth floor for ten days. Dad was admitted due to COVID complications, he was very sick, angry, and inconsolable. My dad is very dependent on my mother, but due to COVID, he was allowed no visitors. Every phone conversation our family had with dad ended in tears and frustration. He missed his home and my mom. He complained about everything. I decided to call his floor on the third or fourth day and talked to his nurse who ended up being our angel - a true lifeline.

Karen Smith not only answered all of our concerns and questions, but she also reached out on several occasions to update us on his progress. She knew how important it was for my dad to see and talk to us so she arranged FaceTimes for dad and our family. She went above and beyond and personally sat with dad and held the phone so we could see and talk to him. She spent extra time sitting and talking to dad. She explained and answered all of his COVID questions. She made sure he had ice water and diet coke in front of him at all times.

Karen Smith recognized how lonely and scared my dad was. Her holistic approach with my dad made the difference and we are convinced was the most instrumental in his coming home sooner than expected. Dad had many good nurses, techs, CNAs, doctors, etc. However, our family is beyond grateful for our Hero, Karen Smith. She superseded our expectations. She treated our dad like her own family. She considered our feelings like she would her own siblings. Nurses like Karen Smith are true gold... we wanted to be sure her good deeds did not go unnoticed.