Unfortunately, my 29-year-old son, D, was a murder victim in a pedestrian vs truck road rage incident back in March. He spent six days in ICU at Sacred Heart Riverbend in Eugene. My 23-year-old daughter and I flew in from Florida as soon as they were able to locate us. We stayed at his bedside until we could harvest his organs. I do want to stress that your whole team was amazing. My daughter and I both work in the hospital setting. I have 20+ years in emergency medicine and currently work as an Assistant Nurse Manager in an ER. Needless to say, I might be a little hard to impress. Lol. Your staff completely impressed me. From security to several of the nurses, to the family advocates. All of them.

The main reason I am writing this letter is due to one of your ICU nurses. In all my years in my career, I have never nominated even one of my own team members for a DAISY Award. She, without a doubt, is one nurse who truly deserves this recognition. Again, my daughter and I left home within an hour of getting the call, to fly to a state we had never been to, 2,000 miles away from home. We spent 6 agonizing days at my son’s bedside, the last several pending organ donation. The man who murdered my son had run and hid and we were dealing with not knowing who did this. We had to sit at his bedside, hold his warm hand, and still make call after call to cremation services because we knew what was coming and we refused to leave the state without him. We were dealing with murder investigators. There was so much going on at once, besides knowing we were spending our last days with D. She went above and beyond in every way. We never had to ask for anything, she just did little things on her part with no idea how huge they were for us. She really wanted to know D. She loved hearing stories about him. We laughed together, we cried together. She took on my daughter and myself as much as her patients as my son was.

Once he was pronounced deceased and now an organ donor case, you could really see the difference in the way many nurses treated him. I’m a nurse, I get it. But she was so different. Her care for D never changed. She was just as caring, and gentle, still talked to him as she was working on him, and made sure to turn and reposition him often. At one point I noticed wounds and major bruising that did not make sense with the story we had been given. Per request, she helped me unwrap wounds, and she rolled D so I could take pictures to send to the investigators. Which in turn caused them to return to the video and evidence and got more of the story of what really happened. She knew how tough that was for me and she was so patient and took her time with me and helped me do what I felt I needed to do. I really think those pictures alone and being able to piece together more of the story will help us during the trial in April.

One story that still carries me for the past 8 months that I would like to share is my last morning with D. We knew we were going to be going to the OR that day. She had watched me struggle to see someone else take care of my child all week. But I never overstepped or intervened, but it was hard to watch as a nurse and mom having someone else take care of him. Even though she truly took care of him like a mom herself would have if he was her child. The last morning, I had a very rough night knowing it was my last night with him. My daughter had gone to take a nap and she asked me if I would like to help her give him his last bed bath. Good, old-fashioned, tub of soap and water-type bed bath. She and I, almost in total silence, gave my son his last bath. It was one of the most calming moments I had had all week. I go back to that moment often and am so thankful to her for giving me that.

I had no idea how I was supposed to walk my son to the OR elevator during his honor walk and just let him go at that moment, knowing I would never be able to touch him or see him again. She took the time to just sit with me and had many pep talks with me to try to prepare me. She had suggestions and made promises about all my concerns. She was the one that pushed my son to the elevator that day. She stuck to every promise she had given. Again, I am realistic, I understand there is a team waiting at the other end of that elevator. But she was professional in sticking to doing what we needed to do and making sure my needs were addressed.

This story is just one of many from the days we spent with her and D. She is an amazing nurse, with excellent clinical skills, and a total advocate not only for her patients but also their families. She is still in this career for all the right reasons. My daughter and I discuss her on a regular basis still when we discuss D. She truly is/was an angel and meant to be the one there with us that week! Thank you!