I have been an RT at Sparrow for 23 years. I have probably "seen and done it all" The past 8 months have probably been the most emotionally and physically draining of my career. (I know we most likely all feel this way).
The purpose of this email is because yesterday I probably participated in one of the hardest terminal weans of my career (MICU-14). One of the "perks" of my job if you want to call it that is I can be called to the bedside, extubate the patient and make a quick escape to allow the family to be with their loved ones as they pass away. In the COVID environment, the family is not at the bedside so the dynamics are definitely different.
Luke was the RN that was taking care of this gentleman yesterday as the decision was made to allow nature to take its course. I cannot praise him enough. You could see the emotion on his face as tears fell down his cheeks. To listen to him talk to this gentleman's wife, teenage children, and extended family over an iPad on a Zoom call so they could be as present as they could be while he passed truly showed the compassion Luke has as an RN. He went above and beyond in my opinion. Luke showed the true meaning of iCare yesterday and I really wanted to give him Kudos and to simply say THANK YOU for being there for that patient's family.