Marnee Harris, RN

Marnee Harris, a SICU nurse, has had to witness, be part of and keep composure during many end-of-life situations. She knows that empathy, compassion, and listening are all key parts to allowing families to grieve. Marnee, wanting to create a sentimental and lasting memory for these families experiencing death, told her manager and hospital administration about an idea she had seen. She showed the team a teddy bear with a heart-shaped sound recorder and explained she could record an end-of-life patient’s heartbeat and be placed inside the teddy bear and given to the family. Riverside Community Hospital’s ICU units implemented this touching act immediately. Marnee helps other nurses use the recorders and gives them the empowerment to ask families if they want this act of kindness. Thank you, Marnee, for bringing your heart to work giving our patient families this amazing gift.