Dad was admitted to the hospital on Thursday with aggressive COPD and having extreme trouble breathing. He was on a CPAP type of machine helping push oxygen into his lungs and helping to pull the carbon dioxide out of his lungs. When dad was not wearing his mask, he was on heated oxygen. This is when he could talk to us and drink his apple juice and water. He also liked eating ice cream and having us make milkshakes in his room. Unfortunately, he was not progressing fast enough so following the pulmonary doctor’s advice, we admitted dad to the ICU to be put on a ventilator and have a breathing tube to get him some much-needed nutrition. Before he was moved, we filled out paperwork giving medical power of attorney to his wife J. This was really hard because it became so real that we are potentially saying goodbye.

We all were already nervous for dad, but this amped up all of our anxiety. This is where Maggie comes in. She was dad’s nurse in the ICU when he was admitted and the following day. She was extremely patient and kind to my father. My father is extremely strong-willed, bossy, and opinionated so I know he is not always the easiest person to deal with. Maggie never once waivered in her kindness or her helpfulness. She was also very patient with all of our family members and all of our questions. She took the time not only to keep dad comfortable and answer our questions but also really listened to us and got to know our family.

J’s daughter was scheduled to have an endoscopy on Maggie’s 2nd day being dad’s nurse. When J arrived to the hospital, not only did Maggie remember the procedure, but she asked how J’s daughter was doing after her procedure. This really showed Maggie’s true care not only for my dad, but also for all of us who were there with him.

I can’t count the number of times I had to bug Maggie to help dad and interrupt what she was doing, but she was always so kind and understanding. I just googled the OSF Mission, Vision, & Values and Maggie truly is living the mission, vision, and values. I cannot explain enough how thankful I am that Maggie was dad’s nurse when he was admitted into the ICU. I don’t believe there are words that can give full credit to Maggie’s compassion and kindness. I hope my father will be out of the ICU before Maggie is scheduled to return next week, but if he is still there, I hope Maggie is his nurse again.