Lauren Wafford
October 2021
Lauren
Wafford
,
RN
Surgical ICU
Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas
Austin
,
TX
United States
Lauren shut down those fears and kept him focused on the path ahead.
My husband was hit by a drunk driver on his way home from work and had to be rushed to the ER due to his extensive injuries. He was intubated and sedated, and I wasn't able to speak to him for the first 12 hours that he was here. It was one of the scariest times of my life. Lauren was the first nurse that my husband interacted with when he woke up in the surgical ICU. He had no memory of what happened and had just come out from major surgery with 8 pounds of hardware keeping his leg together. He was terrified, and Lauren treated him with patience and kindness. Most of all, she gave him hope.
In a situation like that, your mind just goes to the most horrifying places. He didn't know if he would be able to walk again, and he was panicking about how this would affect him being a good father (I was seven months pregnant at the time). Lauren shut down those fears and kept him focused on the path ahead. She was honest about his potential recovery time, but positive, which was exactly what he needed. I am so thankful that we had her as a nurse during this time.
In a situation like that, your mind just goes to the most horrifying places. He didn't know if he would be able to walk again, and he was panicking about how this would affect him being a good father (I was seven months pregnant at the time). Lauren shut down those fears and kept him focused on the path ahead. She was honest about his potential recovery time, but positive, which was exactly what he needed. I am so thankful that we had her as a nurse during this time.