Lena has been a part of our child's life for many years and throughout this time and has always shown us what it means to provide excellent family-centered nursing care. She goes above and beyond with each interaction, striving for us to always feel like we are a very important part of our child's medical care.
Lena has to be one of the most compassionate, kind, and caring people on our son's team. You can see throughout all of our interactions, she not only cares for him but our whole family as well. She has taken the time to learn our child's strengths and likes, reminding him when she sees him how proud of him she is for being so brave with everything he goes through. She also makes a point to ask about us as parents and when a health crisis of my own came up, she always asked how I was doing as well and if we needed anything, further showing that she cared for our entire family. The reassurance that she provides has truly created a special bond between our son, and us. Lena engages our son so easily and readily, that he truly thinks the world of her.
Lena has been a part of many points of teaching in our child's care. From cathing, Mitrofanoff, and now urostomy care, she has taken the time and patience to educate, teach, and empower us as parents of the care of our child. When unique situations arise she researches and educates herself to brainstorm/provide new ideas on how to best help our son. Because of this, she has learned right along with us how to manage uncommon situations like our child's urostomy, which in turn hopefully will help other families as well. She is always willing to "talk" through things and if she doesn't have an answer she will find one.
One of the many times Lena has helped us feel comfortable, specifically for our son was during a potentially painful procedure that had been previously done in the OR but we were attempting this time without sedation. Lena made sure she was available during this time, helped our son advocate to his physician his concerns (via a note he had written, which Lena made sure was read) prior to the procedure starting as he was fairly nervous. She was calm, and encouraging, and proceeded to be right there beside him and me during the procedure, being that extra set of hands which also allowed me to be a part of discussions with physicians. I am not sure the procedure would have gone as well as it did if she was not able to be there. The above interaction is just one of the many times, Lena has shown us time and again her care and compassion for her patients and families. Our son views her as a trusted member of his care team, and is always so comforted with her presence, as are we!
Lena is always sure our questions are answered and that we are a true partner in care. If needed she will clarify, suggest, or even arrange phone calls with the doctor to make sure we are comfortable with the plan of care, test results, or any questions. She excels with the complexity our son brings to the table, and truly is always trying to think one step ahead with the "big picture". She will follow up via phone or email, in addition to staying after the appointment is completed to make sure we understood everything that was discussed. She tries her best to make sure we are an active member of our child's plan of care and an excellent advocate for her patients and families.