Recently, my husband J collapsed in our home and was brought to your facility. We were told by the doctors that he had a clot that couldn't be removed after four tries to do so. They knew that the stroke was building and that it was going to be massive. They were unsure he would survive the night even. All we could do was wait and see and hope and pray for the best. CT scans showed that the entire right side of his brain was dead, and they were hoping to avoid having to take part of his skull off due to brain swelling. The swelling was still building, so the doctor tried aggressive therapy to try to get the swelling to stop, and we were told it didn't look like he was going to need the craniectomy. But that changed in a hurry, and soon we were rushing back into surgery.

It was truly the scariest two weeks of my life. All of the nurses in the ICU that we encountered were really good but one stands out. Her name is Kim, and she was amazing. Her kindness and professionalism were stellar. She treated my husband for sure, but she also treated our family. We were on an emotional roller coaster, and it was Kim who took the time to answer question after question for us. She treated us not just as visitors to her patient but as a part of the patient himself. At one point, I was very upset because my husband was put on a ventilator after the surgery, and that was one of my biggest fears. He has always told me he never wanted to be on a vent, and it scared me that they wouldn't be able to get him off it.

Before the surgery we were told they would most likely be able to get him off the vent the next day. But that didn’t happen. Then they told me they were waiting to put a PEG tube in before they would take him off the vent. So, the following day, he was scheduled for a CT scan at 5 am, but when I came in at noon, they hadn’t taken him. They took him at three that afternoon. Then the people who were going to put the PEG in came in and said they couldn’t do it because when they came to get him, he was out for his CT scan, so it would be yet another day. I got more than a little upset. This PEG just kept getting rescheduled. I was very upset because we truly believed he would be off the vent the next day after surgery. I understand there are things that happen that don't always allow what we want to happen, but this seemed to be more about someone finding the 20 minutes of time to do the PEG procedure. They said they would try to get it to the next day providing they had outpatient cancelations so they could schedule him. I was beside myself. Kim was standing behind me and kept trying to calm me, and then they all left the room. Five minutes later, they came back in and said they were preparing the room for him and they were going to do it right then. I walked out into the hall, and Kim was standing out there. I don’t know what exactly she said to them, but in my heart, I am convinced that she voiced a strong opinion on our behalf and advocated for us. She knew I was at my breaking point, and I truly believe she went to bat for us.

I will forever be thankful to her for her compassion and her care for my J. He told me she was awesome to him. My husband was in the ICU only a few more days after that and then moved down to North Tower. I believe we will be leaving the hospital within the next week to get him into a rehab facility. I truly want to thank all the ICU team for everything they did for us. There were a few that stood out to me. However, Kim needs to be recognized not only for being a stellar nurse but also for being a stellar human. Her compassion and caring go above and beyond, and she does your hospital proud. Doctors get a lot of credit for saving lives but if you spend any amount of time in a hospital, as I have the last couple of weeks you quickly learn how things really happen. It’s the nurses who are the lifeblood of the hospital. Thank you, UHS, for hiring the best nurses anywhere, and thank you again, Kim, for all you did for us. We truly will never forget you.