Laiken is a young nurse just getting her career started. She is in school working on her BSN and very active on committees within the hospital. I know this because I work alongside her on the night shift.
I want to share with you my family's story of one of the most compassionate nurses I have ever worked with. My mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She was admitted to the very unit we work on and Laiken was her nurse. Before this experience, I never really thought about the care that was given, only focused on what my tasks were. I observed Laiken going above and beyond to care for my mom. Laiken treated us like we were family and aside from the fact that I work with her, it was completely different seeing things from the other side of the bed. Laiken showed so much love for our entire family. She took the time to educate us on the disease and treatment plan.
The diagnosis to the end of life came very quickly and Laiken was very helpful in making sure my mom understood everything that was going on and what was happening at the time. She held her hand and was awesome at understanding our mom's quirky personality. When we had other nurses assigned to us, Laiken always made sure we had what we needed and checked on us nightly. After mom was discharged and passed away, Laiken made a point to check on our family and even went out of her way to make dinner for us a few times. She has a heart of gold and we are very grateful for all of the extra love and compassion she showed us during this difficult time. Through this experience, I have learned to appreciate the small stuff and to give back the small stuff to the patients I touch every night.
Laiken has definitely been a blessing to our family and will always hold a special place in our hearts!