Recently, we had a patient in PICU who had a traumatic brain injury due to child abuse. The 3-year-old patient was only able to open his eyes and cry. He could not have visitation from the family. One night (and many times after), Lexie was in the patient's room at the beside. At that moment, she thought this kid does not know nor has he ever known what it feels like to be loved. Lexie scooted the patient over in the bed and laid with him. She sang to him, read to him, and held him for 2 hours. This story touched the hearts of everyone. This is not a random act by Lexie. She often shows her love and compassion for her patients, families, and coworkers.
Another example is when one of our chronic patients was in the hospital in Houston and had been there for a while. We took up a collection for his mom to be able to stay with him. One Saturday, Lexie volunteered to drive to Houston (2.5 hours away) and bring the money. She got to stay for some time and visit with our little friend and give some support and relief to his mom. This shows me that his mom trusted Lexie enough to let her stay.
All of these kind acts, compassion, and love for her patients were demonstrated while she was dealing with graduate school and a cancer diagnosis for her mom.