I was a patient on Leedle's floor for several days. I am a nurse at UAB, and I was given a difficult diagnosis during that admission. I know the ins and the outs of nursing, being in the hospital, and being in the hospital at UAB. Do you know what I didn't know? I didn't know how this diagnosis would impact my life. I didn't know if the love of my life would still want to be with me after learning the changes I would have to make in my life.
Neither did Leedle.
But when I felt like my life was spiraling out of control, Leedle sat beside me, a complete stranger, in my room and listened to my worries as a woman, an assistant nurse manager, and a hopeful future mother, over and over. She reassured me time and time again and took the time just to pop in and see that my mood had improved as the day progressed. I know what their staffing numbers looked like those days and I know she didn't HAVE time to sit and talk, but she made time for me every time I needed her, day after day. On an off day, Leedle even stopped in to see me after a class she had on campus.
In a nursing world filled with algorithms, charting requirements, and charge nurse duties, Leedle took the time to show what nursing is all about—TRUE compassion. It's very easy to wait until you have time to do the things that Leedle did for me during my admission, and often times as a nurse you never find the time to be able to do it. I could never show enough gratitude for the friendship she extended to me during my admission, and even now after. She is a true DAISY Nurse.