I was involved in a resuscitation effort; a middle-aged man brought into our doors in full cardiac arrest. The amazing team worked on this patient medically while the patient's family sat outside of the room being comforted. The code seemed to be in progress for some time with Kelly McNeely helping to work this code. The patient was finally stabilized to make the transfer to Mission, as a distraught family (a son and a wife) sat helplessly outside of his room.
As the team waited on the transfer team, I witnessed the most amazing act of compassion. Kelly came out of the room, walked straight to the family, introduced herself and told them she had been in the room the whole time. She asked, "Who did CPR on him at home?" and a distraught son acknowledged it was him. Kelly then said, "Good job- you are the reason he's alive," and embraced the son. The son broke down in tears as Kelly praised him for the work he had done at home. She gave this son the peace of mind that no matter the outcome, he did his best. That moment will never be forgotten by this family or myself. When we are busy treating the physical needs of the patients, it's amazing to see true compassion shown to the family.