I want to tell you about an Extraordinary Nurse named Katy Kucenski. If there was ever a time when such a special nurse was needed it was today. Our department was called in for a major GI bleed to be done in the OR and the patient was far from stable. The case was of such urgency it bumped other cases considered emergencies in the OR. The patient was scoped and the situation required a rapid response. Katy came in to see if our department needed any help since her procedures were at a standstill. I cannot even put into words how much help she provided. She ran and got coolers of blood products and helped get it checked swiftly and helped administer these products that we were literally dumping into the patient to stabilize her. Someone would say something we needed and she was running to get these items ASAP. We needed to transport this patient to other departments to get more emergent interventions and she was still there helping move the patient swiftly.

Transportation can be quite a task when you are pushing a cart, bagging an intubated patient, dumping blood in them, and carrying all the supplies you need but she did not miss a beat when it came to helping us. She was there helping when she could have been resting up for her own cases. She still had several cases of her own to do that she knew about and possible others that may come before her 24-hour call is done.

This ordeal lasted for > 4 hours and I and my colleagues treasure her help immensely. I would also like to mention that this is just one occasion, she was also there helping with another urgent case that happened earlier that same week that she could have very well walked past. Thank you, Katy, for your help, your knowledge, and your compassion to help other colleagues and a patient that truly needed you today.