My husband was diagnosed with Glioblastoma in November 2024, and he had surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in December of that year. My husband made a miraculous recovery. At age 93, he was able to play trumpet in three community bands, and he hosted weekly jam sessions at our house for 9 months after surgery. Then, in late November, he suddenly developed very severe seizures, and I took him to the Barnes ER immediately. He was admitted to the Oncology ICU in Parkview Tower so that his seizures could be monitored around the clock. From the minute we moved into his room, we felt in excellent hands. Then, on day two, Kaylynn arrived and took over as our day nurse. We had the exceptionally good fortune of being in her care for 3 consecutive days, and I felt blessed the minute she introduced herself. She immediately began to get to know us, and when she learned that my husband was an amateur jazz musician, she found a jazz channel so we could stream his favorite music for him day and night. When I asked him if the music was okay, he smiled and nodded, clearly very content to have these comforting tunes with him during his illness.

Soon after, my husband had to be intubated and was no longer able to communicate well. Kay calmly explained why this step was necessary and ensured my husband, her patient, was comfortable and safe. She competently and caringly administered all the medications, monitored him closely, and took exceptional care of him in every way one could wish for. She always explained which task she was going to do next and why. Like all nurses, she was very busy throughout the day, but she always found time to bring me ice water and to make sure I was eating, walking, and taking breaks.

As his condition worsened and he became less and less responsive, she continued to talk with him, and she encouraged me to do the same because we both felt he could hear us. Throughout our stay, Kay took the time to listen carefully to my concerns and to do everything in her power to help me get my questions answered. She never overstepped in any way, but she always knew which questions to ask or whom to address them to. She was honest with me, told me how my husband was doing, and never gave me false hope, which I appreciated enormously.

As she got to know me better each day, she learned what was/was not comforting to me, and she took excellent care of me as well as her patient. Drawing on her experience as an ICU nurse, she gently helped me understand that my husband's condition was not improving and that we might need to consider some difficult decisions. She encouraged me to contact the rest of the family at just the right time so that they could see him again and also support me during this extremely painful time.
During an especially trying conversation with a team of doctors, she could see how much I was struggling and put her arm on my shoulder -- such a caring and comforting gesture at just the right moment to help me get through the meeting.

When the time came to remove life support, I wanted Kay by my side, and she so beautifully helped and supported me during this most difficult and painful time of my life. She made sure my husband and I were as comfortable as we could be, and she ensured, as she had promised she would, that he was completely relaxed as he passed peacefully. In a way, she helped make this a beautiful experience because I could see and feel how comfortable he was, and how close we were, as I held him at the very end of his life.

Afterward, Kay stayed in the room with me for a little while and helped me wash his hair -- something I had been doing over the last several months and needed to do one more time before I let him go. He had decided to donate his body to the WashU medical school for teaching and research, and Kay helped me make all the necessary arrangements. She then offered to stay with his body until he could be transported to the morgue -- another incredibly caring gesture that brought me so much comfort when it was time for me to leave the hospital. She made sure I had someone to take me home and take care of me for the rest of the day. And she gave me a bear with my husband's heartbeat recorded in it to take home with me. This bear has been so helpful and comforting as I am working hard to get used to this new and difficult situation. But I am doing OK, mostly, and I have Kay to thank for giving me the best possible care on this journey. She is a gem, a caring angel, one of the kindest and most professional people I have ever met. She is an outstanding nurse, extremely competent, of course, but also uniquely caring and observant and ready to help those who need her.