Keeley Binion
May 2022
Keeley
Binion
,
BSN, RN, CCRN
9 Kellogg
Rush University Medical Center
Chicago
,
IL
United States
She greeted us like old friends and immediately made us (but most importantly, my husband, the patient) feel comfortable and cared for.
We have had a long road with my husband’s cancer journey. In May, he had his fourth surgery to remove cancerous tissue from his tongue. We arrived on time, but due to another case taking longer than anticipated, we waited for five hours in pre-op (four hours longer than planned) for him to be taken to surgery. Surgery hadn’t finished until after 7:00 pm, and J wasn’t moved to his room until almost 10:00 pm. Fortunately, the hospital administration gave the approval for me to stay overnight on the couch in his room. Suffice to say, by the time we were moved to J’s room, we were frazzled, exhausted, and scared. I was starving too! Enter Keeley.
She greeted us like old friends and immediately made us (but most importantly, my husband, the patient) feel comfortable and cared for. She explained everything that she did and answered all of our questions. She arranged for extra blankets for me, and assured us that I was welcome, too. Keeley asked me if I’d eaten, and when she realized that I hadn’t, she gave me great directions to get food in the lobby. She did not need to spend any additional time with me – as I was not the patient – but she did. After such a difficult day, she was a Godsend.
I am sure that Keeley was extremely busy, but she made us feel like we were the only people on the unit. She never made us feel rushed, and she took as much time as needed to provide information and excellent care. When she saw that all of my husband’s meds were prescribed in pill form, she reached out to have them switched to liquid – we didn’t even have to ask! After speaking with him for 30 seconds, she knew that he would not be able to manage taking pills after surgery. She frequently checked in with us throughout the evening, even when it wasn’t time for medication or vitals. Keeley treated us like we were visitors in her home – and that’s exactly what we needed with such a fraught time.
Although we thanked her profusely as she was leaving her shift, it was important to us to share our story with those who might be able to recognize her for her exemplary care as well as her competent, calming, and kind manner. We will be forever grateful that Keeley was our nurse that evening. Rush is so lucky to have nurses like Keeley!
She greeted us like old friends and immediately made us (but most importantly, my husband, the patient) feel comfortable and cared for. She explained everything that she did and answered all of our questions. She arranged for extra blankets for me, and assured us that I was welcome, too. Keeley asked me if I’d eaten, and when she realized that I hadn’t, she gave me great directions to get food in the lobby. She did not need to spend any additional time with me – as I was not the patient – but she did. After such a difficult day, she was a Godsend.
I am sure that Keeley was extremely busy, but she made us feel like we were the only people on the unit. She never made us feel rushed, and she took as much time as needed to provide information and excellent care. When she saw that all of my husband’s meds were prescribed in pill form, she reached out to have them switched to liquid – we didn’t even have to ask! After speaking with him for 30 seconds, she knew that he would not be able to manage taking pills after surgery. She frequently checked in with us throughout the evening, even when it wasn’t time for medication or vitals. Keeley treated us like we were visitors in her home – and that’s exactly what we needed with such a fraught time.
Although we thanked her profusely as she was leaving her shift, it was important to us to share our story with those who might be able to recognize her for her exemplary care as well as her competent, calming, and kind manner. We will be forever grateful that Keeley was our nurse that evening. Rush is so lucky to have nurses like Keeley!