Lisa is our wound care specialist and is one of only 2 for the entire center. That in itself is impressive, but this is not why I would like to recognize her.
I have seen her live up to everything that the PETALS Principles stand for. I not only work in the Long Beach VAMC, but I was also an inpatient several months ago with a wound and I was having a hard time being stuck in bed. Lisa stayed way past her shift and after making her rounds she stopped by daily to check on me and to check on my wound. The vast majority of our inpatients have some type of a bed ulcer and she tries to visit all of them. One particular night I was having a hard time dealing with having to be in bed for several days. Lisa stayed way past the end of her shift to use "Healing Touch Method," in order to help me sleep. This homeopathic technique is not something that is prescribed, it is something that she used to help one of her patients deal with all of sudden not being able to do the job he loves. She didn't have to do, she could have just gone home but she stayed.
She is also a wonderful musician and she has played in several events in SCI for not just for staff but for the patients she loves. She has even written a song about taking care of her SCI patients. I don't think that there is another nurse in the entire VA Healthcare System that could make the same claim.
There isn't a day that I have not seen her with a smile and a positive attitude.
As a floor nurse in V1 she was definitely the soul of the ward but with time she has become the soul of the spinal cord center.
Thank you, Lisa, for taking care of me and for taking care of my fellow spinal cord patients.