Last week, we had a patient who had to be hospitalized in our unit. To make matters worse, she had just recently lost her husband and had to spend the day of his funeral here in the hospital for treatment of her condition. Her nurse that day was Kelly. If you know Kelly, she is a very compassionate nurse and takes time to get to know her patients on a personal level. When she found out that day was her husband’s funeral and her patient would not be able to attend, nor did she have any family here with her or a cell phone, Kelly took it upon herself to find out more information from the patient as to where the funeral was being held and when. Kelly was able to find the information online on her own personal cell phone. She not only took it into the patient's room so she could watch the funeral online but also sat with her and held her hand. They shared some tears and conversation together. The patient was extremely thankful for what Kelly had done. This is a prime example of going above and beyond and Kelly has done this for her patients on many occasions, it is just who she is–genuine and compassionate.

***

Kelly has shown me and my family such outstanding care and compassion during my short stay. She had gone out of her way to ensure I was not in pain and respected me as a person for the entirety of my stay. She was the first nurse to ask about the doctor’s plans and was a pivotal component in arranging my scans and tests to be completed promptly. She explained all my options, including the surgery I did not want to go through with, and she made me feel secure in the team’s plans. But the most meaningful time was when she made sure I had the opportunity to see my kids after surgery. When they began to cry, she took the time to kneel next to them, hug them, and explain that I would be okay. This meant a lot to me not only as a patient but as a father since I was unable to support them as I would have liked to due to the anesthesia wearing off. She let us hang up pictures they drew for me and treated them with as much love as I would have. It is hard to express it in words, but I can not thank her enough!