Kathy Paredes-Green
August 2024
Kathy
Paredes-Green
,
BSN, RN, OCN
4SW Oncology
UCLA Health
Santa Monica
,
CA
United States
M.C. was scared because he knew his time was limited, but he frequently talked to Kathy about his resilience, and Kathy encouraged him to keep fighting. Kathy mailed the framed letter to M.C.'s wife and hoped she would treasure it and his memory.
The nominee is truly an exceptional nurse who goes above and beyond to connect with their patients. Her compassion and commitment to her patients make her stand out as a leader in the oncology unit. She has often given little "gifts" to patients to make them smile or helped celebrate milestones with patients. Recently (before the holidays), the oncology unit had a patient with end-stage cancer who was going to be discharged for hospice. The nurse provided care for him numerous times over the course of his disease process. Due to their shared language and culture, the nurse built a strong rapport with this patient and his wife. Throughout his admissions, the patient was often seen writing in his journal. The nurse asked the patient about it and discovered that he was writing letters to his wife and family for them to read after his passing. He was discharged home with hospice and passed shortly before Christmas. On her next shift, the nurse noticed the patient's journal at the nursing station. EVS workers found the journal while cleaning the room and turned it in at the nursing station. Knowing how important the letters were to the patient and concerned that the wife might not think to look for the journal while grieving, the nurse took responsibility for ensuring the treasured letters were given to the patient's family. She went on her day off to mail the journal back to the wife before Christmas. This is just one example of the countless "little" things this nurse does for her patients. She understands and respects their wishes and goes above and beyond to fulfill them even when they are no longer in her care. She embodies the UCLA mission of alleviating suffering and delivering acts of kindness.
***
Kathy is an extremely caring, compassionate, and humble nurse who connects with her patients on a special level that goes above and beyond normal. I am Kathy's unit director, and I only heard of this story through Kathy's CNIII portfolio, which speaks to her modesty.
As I mentioned, Kathy builds strong, lasting relationships with her patients and did so with M.C., who was a 62-year-old male patient with metastatic colon cancer. Kathy had become close with M.C. and his family over several admissions and learned about M.C.'s children and his goals in life. When M.C.'s family was not in the room, he would tell Kathy about his 30 years of marriage to his wife and how thankful he was for her love and support. M.C. would also journal and disclose to Kathy that he wanted to write and express his gratitude to his wife. M.C. had challenges doing this, given his declining state of health. M.C. was last admitted to 4SW in November 2023 due to rapid decompensation and was ultimately discharged home with plans to pursue hospice if his condition did not improve.
About a week after M.C. was discharged, Kathy found his notebook at the nursing station among our lost and found items. In this notebook, Kathy found a letter that M.C. had started writing to his wife, stating in Spanish, "To my wife of 30 years, without a doubt, you are the most magical thing God has sent to me to accompany me on this difficult path called life." While this was all the patient managed to write, Kathy felt touched and compelled to deliver this to M.C.'s wife because she knew how important they were to each other and how much it would mean to her to have his letter. Kathy bought a small frame for the letter and prepared it to be mailed.
On Kathy's next shift, she found M.C.'s address in his face sheet and discovered that he had passed away. Kathy expressed how sad she felt because M.C. was like a family member. Kathy knew about his hopes to stay alive and meet his first grandchild, which he did with Kathy's help by coordinating a meeting in the hospital garden. Kathy knew about his dream to become a doctor and his pride in his children. M.C. was scared because he knew his time was limited, but he frequently talked to Kathy about his resilience, and Kathy encouraged him to keep fighting. Kathy mailed the framed letter to M.C.'s wife and hoped she would treasure it and his memory.
***
Kathy is an incredible and selfless nurse who dedicates her career to helping others and providing genuine compassion to everyone she works with. Although she always provides acts of kindness, one situation stands out. A 62-year-old patient, who had been repeatedly admitted to our unit for treatment of his metastatic colon cancer, had built a strong relationship with Kathy over the years. During his last admission, his health had significantly declined, and there were discussions on hospice care. During this time, Kathy worked closely with the patient and his family members to help them through this difficult journey. The patient and she talked frequently about his 30+ years of marriage to his wife and how thankful he was for her. She would notice that he enjoyed writing in journals throughout his stay. When asked about his journal entries, he explained that he was writing to his wife. Ultimately, MC was discharged with plans to pursue hospice if his condition did not improve.
A week after his discharge, Kathy found the patient’s notebook at the nurses' station. Inside was a note in Spanish that read, “To my wife of 30 years, without a doubt, you are the most magical thing God has sent me to accompany me on this difficult path called life.” While this was all he wrote, Kathy was touched by his beautiful message and felt it was vital to return this precious gift to his family. She framed the letter and mailed it to his wife. This act of generosity and kindness embodies Kathy as a nurse and who she is as a person. I am forever honored to work alongside her and feel that she deserves every recognition.
***
Kathy is an extremely caring, compassionate, and humble nurse who connects with her patients on a special level that goes above and beyond normal. I am Kathy's unit director, and I only heard of this story through Kathy's CNIII portfolio, which speaks to her modesty.
As I mentioned, Kathy builds strong, lasting relationships with her patients and did so with M.C., who was a 62-year-old male patient with metastatic colon cancer. Kathy had become close with M.C. and his family over several admissions and learned about M.C.'s children and his goals in life. When M.C.'s family was not in the room, he would tell Kathy about his 30 years of marriage to his wife and how thankful he was for her love and support. M.C. would also journal and disclose to Kathy that he wanted to write and express his gratitude to his wife. M.C. had challenges doing this, given his declining state of health. M.C. was last admitted to 4SW in November 2023 due to rapid decompensation and was ultimately discharged home with plans to pursue hospice if his condition did not improve.
About a week after M.C. was discharged, Kathy found his notebook at the nursing station among our lost and found items. In this notebook, Kathy found a letter that M.C. had started writing to his wife, stating in Spanish, "To my wife of 30 years, without a doubt, you are the most magical thing God has sent to me to accompany me on this difficult path called life." While this was all the patient managed to write, Kathy felt touched and compelled to deliver this to M.C.'s wife because she knew how important they were to each other and how much it would mean to her to have his letter. Kathy bought a small frame for the letter and prepared it to be mailed.
On Kathy's next shift, she found M.C.'s address in his face sheet and discovered that he had passed away. Kathy expressed how sad she felt because M.C. was like a family member. Kathy knew about his hopes to stay alive and meet his first grandchild, which he did with Kathy's help by coordinating a meeting in the hospital garden. Kathy knew about his dream to become a doctor and his pride in his children. M.C. was scared because he knew his time was limited, but he frequently talked to Kathy about his resilience, and Kathy encouraged him to keep fighting. Kathy mailed the framed letter to M.C.'s wife and hoped she would treasure it and his memory.
***
Kathy is an incredible and selfless nurse who dedicates her career to helping others and providing genuine compassion to everyone she works with. Although she always provides acts of kindness, one situation stands out. A 62-year-old patient, who had been repeatedly admitted to our unit for treatment of his metastatic colon cancer, had built a strong relationship with Kathy over the years. During his last admission, his health had significantly declined, and there were discussions on hospice care. During this time, Kathy worked closely with the patient and his family members to help them through this difficult journey. The patient and she talked frequently about his 30+ years of marriage to his wife and how thankful he was for her. She would notice that he enjoyed writing in journals throughout his stay. When asked about his journal entries, he explained that he was writing to his wife. Ultimately, MC was discharged with plans to pursue hospice if his condition did not improve.
A week after his discharge, Kathy found the patient’s notebook at the nurses' station. Inside was a note in Spanish that read, “To my wife of 30 years, without a doubt, you are the most magical thing God has sent me to accompany me on this difficult path called life.” While this was all he wrote, Kathy was touched by his beautiful message and felt it was vital to return this precious gift to his family. She framed the letter and mailed it to his wife. This act of generosity and kindness embodies Kathy as a nurse and who she is as a person. I am forever honored to work alongside her and feel that she deserves every recognition.