On 8/5/14 Mandy Watkins responded to AICU as part of the E-HART to care for a patient with a rapidly evolving MI. The patient had multiple medical conditions, including progressive cancer, and had just made the decision not to be intubated or resuscitated. His wife and family had left not much more than 1 hour earlier when the patient had been in A.Fib, but was being controlled with medications and was conversant.

As this event unfolded, the patient quickly experienced oxygen desaturation, requiring supplemental oxygen progressing quickly to bi-pap. Urgent decisions had to be made and the patient was obviously overwhelmed and scared. Emergent consent was given by the patient to be intubated for PCI with the understanding that this would be short term, to get him through this event and to the cath lab. Unfortunately, he did not survive.

During this time, Mandy stayed with him, talking to him and comforting him, that we were all there to help him. Her kindness and concern were very obvious. Mandy often refers to people as "honey" or "sweetie," which may seem a bit old fashioned, but the manner that she says it and the look of caring on her face lets people know that she deeply cares about them.

Hers was the last voice that man heard as he was anesthetized, intubated, and eventually passed on. His wife and family arrived shortly after he was unable to respond. They never saw what she did or how she spoke to him, but it did not go unnoticed by everyone. I am sure that, during a very scared man's last minutes on earth, he knew he was loved.