January 2024
Kelly
Birkla
,
RN
Careflight
Avera St. Luke's
Aberdeen
,
SD
United States
The ability to establish trust with me and my family in such a dark and uncertain time while performing their jobs is a true skill.
I have been meaning to nominate this nurse for many years. She and her team saved my husband’s life. I have made attempts to reach out in the past four years, but I know these nurses are busy and very hard to contact. I was told that he coded multiple times at the hospital we were at and in the helicopter. The worst thoughts and feelings came over me. I was certain I would lose him. This nurse can be described as calm, cool, and collected. She shared that feeling and gave me hope in watching them all work. And it turns out it was one of her first flights on the job, I learned later. I can’t remember the names of her two partners. I would like for them to be recognized, too. This team put their heart and soul into my husband’s care, and he ultimately survived. They are true stewards of the mission. The mission can mean so many different things. Their mission was to provide Christ-based care with intelligence, perseverance, empathy, and passion. I appreciate them and all the updates they gave me before they left with my husband. I knew I could trust them. I knew that we had established a bond, and I hardly knew them, yet I felt like I did. The ability to establish trust with me and my family in such a dark and uncertain time while performing their jobs is a true skill. That is what sets these people apart. People. Not the name on the sign of a hospital. These people. God Bless.