My husband recently spent 9 days in the ICU at Banner Casa Grande. Prior to that, he spent 4 days in the med/surg unit. As soon as we arrived, it became clear that Banner has a lot of wonderful employees. The most noticeable thing is how happy and content they all seem to be while working. My husband was given first-class care during his stay and I was made to feel like a valued and welcomed member of his care team. Waiting to see if my husband would recover was a long and stressful experience.
One person really made a difference, though. Her name is Lindsay Kissinger and I feel she deserve a golden rose, but a DAISY Award will also convey to her how appreciative myself, and my family, are for the care she provided my husband during his final days. We were lucky to have her for 3 days in a row, during which she continually monitored my husband, showing great concern for his comfort and maintaining his condition. She turned and moved him more than anyone else and was very attentive to developing problems with his skin and swelling. But more than caring for him, I felt like she was also caring for me. When she would come in, she took the time to chat with me. While our conversations were trivial in nature, they kept me in touch with reality. Sitting by his bedside day after day became like an alternate form of reality in which the concerns of the outside world had little bearing. Those moments of conversation with Lindsay kept me in touch with life outside of the ICU and made me feel a little bit more normal.
While everyone was polite, Lindsay went above and beyond that, by showing an interest in me as a person and caring about the difficult experience I was going through. While we didn't get her assigned as his nurse again, Lindsay stopped by on the other days and asked how he was. She also made a point to stop by his room and share her condolences on his final day. She made the waiting easier and I am very grateful for it.