May 2017
Marti
Nuyen
,
RN, CEN
ED
Bronson Methodist Hospital
Kalamazoo
,
MI
United States
Recently I went through one of the most painful days of my life. That day started out at 5 am when I received a phone call from my mom that my grandfather was not doing well and she needed my help. My grandfather was on hospice and was having uncontrollable pain. He asked me to take him to the hospital. As we were taken back to his room in the ED, I was exhausted and scared. I was worried to be asked "why are you here" since he was on hospice. I anxiously looked at the communication board in the room to see who his nurse was. Next to the primary nurse's name, I saw "Marti" next to it. Having worked in the ED before I knew Marti Nuyen and felt relief in knowing she was there. Despite having multiple orientees under her wing, Marti took the time to help with my grandfather's care. She delivered non-judgmental care, helped facilitate quick transport to CT, and advocated for more pain medication for him. Despite the great care he received from everyone involved in his care, things spiraled downhill quickly and my grandfather became unresponsive. He was actively dying. At that point, my mother and I chose that he receive comfort measures only. I burst into tears. Marti held me and was present in the moment with me. She understood my pain. Just feeling her hands hold me, and knowing that she understood, gave me unexplainable comfort. That was true nursing excellence in action. Words cannot express the comfort that Marti brought to me during one of the most painful days of my life.