My Papa was in the hospital here at TRMC for almost a month, when he passed away here. While ALL of the nurses (& staff) who cared for him during his time here were great, Lesley was exceptional. She was his nurse the morning he was placed on bipap, became a DNR, and eventually made the decision to move over to comfort measures. She was also back and was his nurse the following day when he passed away.
 
Lesley not only cared for Papa, but also for his family. On Monday, she explained everything to my mom (who was his only child) as far as the process of switching to comfort measures. When my mom had questions about the process and removing the bipap, Lesley contacted respiratory to come and talk with my mom and us as well and answer any questions. However, we never felt pressured or rushed. She always let us know that we had time to think about and talk with Papa, who was still aware of what was going on. The decision was made to leave him on bipap until my brother and his family made it from Atlanta that Monday afternoon. Every time Lesley came in the room, she explained everything she was doing to Papa and made sure he was comfortable throughout the day. Every time she left the room, she always asked and made sure we were okay and asked if we needed anything. She went as far as to offer to get my mom something to eat or drink from Expresso 41 downstairs if I thought she would like it. Lesley wanted to make sure we were cared for as well. Once we were ready to switch to comfort care, Lesley came in and explained everything to Papa and us as far as the process of giving pain medication to keep him comfortable and switching his oxygen from bipap to high flow. She made sure he was comfortable and not in pain or agitated. She allowed family and friends to come and go as frequently as we wanted to so that we could all enjoy what we knew were our last moments with him. Papa remained comfortable throughout the night.

On Tuesday morning, Lesley was back as his nurse. He passed away peacefully Tuesday morning. After he passed away, Lesley let me know that if we wanted to help, we were more than welcome to, but we definitely didn't have to. I was thankful to be able to do some of the little things: unhook him from the monitor, remove his oxygen, and take his IV out. She showed us to the family conference room so that we would have a private place to wait while they did his postmortem care. When we got back to his room, Lesley had his personal belongings neatly placed on the couch in the room. On Monday, they had given him a whiteboard so that he could write and communicate while he was on bipap. The best thing was that she had the whiteboard propped up in the window by his belongings when we came back in to see him. She let us know that we could take as much time as we wanted and not to feel like we needed to hurry. When we went to leave, Mama was telling Lesley thank you and told her that she took a picture of the whiteboard with Papa's handwriting. Lesley looked at her and said, "It's yours. Take it with you." It's a little thing that means a lot to my mom and all of us that we were able to keep the board with the last thing he wrote. Lesley is the definition of someone who is truly called to be a nurse and genuinely shows compassion. She made a not-so-great situation that no one ever wants to be in a lot more bearable, and our family is forever grateful.