July 2024
Kelly
Turner
,
RN, CWON
Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nursing
Northside Hospital Gwinnett
Lawrenceville
,
GA
United States
Her daughter had said she just wanted to "give her mom something that would make her mom feel better." The family had searched for the necklace after surgery but determined that it was lost. The nurse’s heart felt crushed to hear the situation and wanted to help.
In March, this nurse was consulted to provide ostomy education to a young woman who was s/p colon resection and a colostomy for stage 4 colon cancer. She happened to be in the room when the nurse manager entered to discuss an event related to the loss of a necklace during transfer to the surgical floor room after her operation. She watched as a tearful patient described the loss and how sad she was because it was a special gift that her daughter picked out for her. The patient reported that their whole world had turned upside down with her cancer diagnosis, and as everyone was trying to come to terms with the situation of her health, the patient’s daughter purchased a small necklace with a purple rose for her mom at the elementary school book fair. Her daughter was so excited to surprise her mom with it and saw how proud she was of it. Her daughter had said she just wanted to "give her mom something that would make her mom feel better." The family had searched for the necklace after surgery but determined that it was lost. The nurse’s heart felt crushed to hear the situation and wanted to help. While she taught the patient about her ostomy, they talked about her daughter, and the nurse was able to find out the name of her daughter’s school. After the teaching session, she made a call to the school and provided a brief, HIPAA-compliant version of what happened and found out that the book fair was still going on. She was connected with the woman who was coordinating the book fair, and she described the necklace and situation. The book fair worker could not find the necklace right away but took the nurse’s information. A bit later, she received a text from the woman saying that she had indeed found the same type of necklace and that since she lived close by, she would drop it off at the front desk of the hospital. The nurse offered to come by the school the next day and pay for it, but the book fair worker refused payment for the necklace due to the special circumstances for this patient. By the end of the day, this nurse was able to place the purple rose necklace in the patient’s thankful hands again. The next time she saw the patient, she reported that her daughter was also so very grateful. This is a beautiful story of going above and beyond, and connecting with a person in an extremely hard time. This nurse’s actions helped them feel valued and special. Her compassion and care gave hope and comfort.