Katherine Nelsen
April 2020
Katherine
Nelsen
,
MSN, RN, CCRN
ICU
Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital
Geneva
,
IL
United States
My mother who was 82, had many health ailments. She went to Delnor ED with congestive heart failure. She was admitted to the ICU. As I visited her prior to work, she had a forced-air mask on. This is when I met Katie.
Katie sat down with me on the couch in my mom's room that morning and we talked and really hit it off. She was so down to earth that it took me a while to see how she was engaging me regarding my mom's condition, in such a creative and awesome way! When it dawned on me that this might be my mom's last health trial and tribulation, I would not have wanted to find this out by anyone else than Katie. Her demeanor and the way she presented things in that time of difficulty did not shock me, but rather helped me to see where my mom's condition was.
I could verbalize to Katie what my mom and I expected regarding life support etc. She promised me a call immediately after the doctor made rounds and I went to work. In the meantime, Katie even took the time to speak to my older sister about the details of who was an RN and lived out of state.
The physician called me back and explained the best and humane thing to do for my mom was to let her go and Katie agreed. I was in full agreement and came back to meet with hospice. I understood she could go at any time even with the mask on. They agreed to keep the mask on until evening when I could come after work.
That evening our family was there and Katie put Christian music on for us and took off my mother's mask. She became quite agitated from pain. Katie administered the medication to make her comfortable. We sang her favorite church song and said our goodbyes. She passed away 15 minutes later, and Katie came to let us know. She had been outside my mother's room monitoring her vitals.
Katie is probably the best person in medicine that I have ever come across. Her creativity in getting to know folks on their level and to be able to communicate to them in heartbreaking times is amazing. The genuine compassion and empathy she showed to my mom and her family were highly regarded by us. She showed teamwork with hospice and showed compassion for her field by staying with us the whole day. God and then Katie made my mom's passing into a wonderful occasion. I can only imagine how many hearts and lives Katie touches daily.
Katie sat down with me on the couch in my mom's room that morning and we talked and really hit it off. She was so down to earth that it took me a while to see how she was engaging me regarding my mom's condition, in such a creative and awesome way! When it dawned on me that this might be my mom's last health trial and tribulation, I would not have wanted to find this out by anyone else than Katie. Her demeanor and the way she presented things in that time of difficulty did not shock me, but rather helped me to see where my mom's condition was.
I could verbalize to Katie what my mom and I expected regarding life support etc. She promised me a call immediately after the doctor made rounds and I went to work. In the meantime, Katie even took the time to speak to my older sister about the details of who was an RN and lived out of state.
The physician called me back and explained the best and humane thing to do for my mom was to let her go and Katie agreed. I was in full agreement and came back to meet with hospice. I understood she could go at any time even with the mask on. They agreed to keep the mask on until evening when I could come after work.
That evening our family was there and Katie put Christian music on for us and took off my mother's mask. She became quite agitated from pain. Katie administered the medication to make her comfortable. We sang her favorite church song and said our goodbyes. She passed away 15 minutes later, and Katie came to let us know. She had been outside my mother's room monitoring her vitals.
Katie is probably the best person in medicine that I have ever come across. Her creativity in getting to know folks on their level and to be able to communicate to them in heartbreaking times is amazing. The genuine compassion and empathy she showed to my mom and her family were highly regarded by us. She showed teamwork with hospice and showed compassion for her field by staying with us the whole day. God and then Katie made my mom's passing into a wonderful occasion. I can only imagine how many hearts and lives Katie touches daily.