...Recently my mom was admitted to Methodist's cardiac cath lab. In March mom had a knee replacement and in April was admitted to Methodist for an infected toe. After seeing her cardiologist for a routine stress test, she was told she needed a cardiac catherization. Mom was very nervous and thought for sure they would be doing open heart surgery before she left the hospital.

When Linda greeted us in OR waiting area, and told mom it was time to go, mom began crying. Quickly Linda asked why she was crying and began to calm mom down. Mom's initial BP was 208/120, but within minutes, Linda had set mom's mind at ease. She explained the procedure, explained false positives concerning the stress test, and talked to mom on a personal level. By the time we rejoined mom in the pre-op area, she was joyful, calm and couldn't say enough about how Linda had helped her and how wonderful she was. Mom kept saying to Linda, tell them about the false positives, tell them how long it will take, etc.

My mom's whole outlook that day changed. She went into the procedure confident and hopeful. All of mom's nurses were wonderful that day, but Linda went above and beyond taking care of a patient. She reach out to mom, saw she was anxious, asked her why, calmed her fears, and truly touched her heart with her compassion and caring. The care that she provided not only eased her mind, but her BP came back to normal range and she made it through the procedure without incident. I cannot say enough about what this nurse did for my mother that day.