Mary Hall
March 2024
Mary
Hall
,
RN, BSN
Hospice Care Center
EvergreenHealth
Kirkland
,
WA
United States
When we met Nurse Mary, we were immediately affected by her level of kindness and compassion. It was clear that she had a sense of urgency when things may not be going as planned, and she did everything within her power to help get things on track.
It is hard to put into words the effect Nurse Mary had on the worst days of our lives, but I’m going to try.
My wife, M, had terminal Ovarian and Intestinal cancer and was hospitalized at another facility when the decision was made to start the hospice process. This decision was devastating to my two girls and me. The cancer ravaged her intestines, and the chemo was not going to be able to make the impact we had hoped. My wife faced this decision with bravery I cannot even imagine. She handled it with grace. She made the decision to move hospitals to Evergreen Hospice when the care team and the hospital seemed to stop caring about helping us. Our final day at the previous facility was surrounded by construction in the room next door which did not help us feel comfort.
When we arrived at Evergreen we were greeted with kindness, compassion and understanding of what we were there for. When we met Nurse Mary, we were immediately affected by her level of kindness and compassion. It was clear that she had a sense of urgency when things may not be going as planned, and she did everything within her power to help get things on track. She always made sure my family had what we needed, no matter how big or so small. She connected with our family over soccer as my wife was the consummate soccer mom. We found out Mary was as well. We felt confident comfort; compassionate comfort. When the NG tube and suction had issues, she knew the importance of that for her comfort and came right away when it would fail, kink, or clog. She made us feel like she was a part of our family, fighting with the same passion for my wife that we were. She took care of all of us. She even helped us figure out how to get our family dog, Mookie to see M. That effort helped all of us feel like our entire family was there to support M in this process.
Words do not do justice to the impact that Mary had on our experience. Other doctors and nurses were good, but Mary was so far above what I ever expected that she has made a lasting impact on my girls and me. Her compassion, professionalism, and kindness have stuck with me. Every person who has to make the decision to enter hospice should be so lucky to have Mary on their team. I hope, someday, to be able to thank her in person. In the meantime, I hope Mary can receive the highest recognition possible for her profession. Our experience would not have been the same without her there.
My wife, M, had terminal Ovarian and Intestinal cancer and was hospitalized at another facility when the decision was made to start the hospice process. This decision was devastating to my two girls and me. The cancer ravaged her intestines, and the chemo was not going to be able to make the impact we had hoped. My wife faced this decision with bravery I cannot even imagine. She handled it with grace. She made the decision to move hospitals to Evergreen Hospice when the care team and the hospital seemed to stop caring about helping us. Our final day at the previous facility was surrounded by construction in the room next door which did not help us feel comfort.
When we arrived at Evergreen we were greeted with kindness, compassion and understanding of what we were there for. When we met Nurse Mary, we were immediately affected by her level of kindness and compassion. It was clear that she had a sense of urgency when things may not be going as planned, and she did everything within her power to help get things on track. She always made sure my family had what we needed, no matter how big or so small. She connected with our family over soccer as my wife was the consummate soccer mom. We found out Mary was as well. We felt confident comfort; compassionate comfort. When the NG tube and suction had issues, she knew the importance of that for her comfort and came right away when it would fail, kink, or clog. She made us feel like she was a part of our family, fighting with the same passion for my wife that we were. She took care of all of us. She even helped us figure out how to get our family dog, Mookie to see M. That effort helped all of us feel like our entire family was there to support M in this process.
Words do not do justice to the impact that Mary had on our experience. Other doctors and nurses were good, but Mary was so far above what I ever expected that she has made a lasting impact on my girls and me. Her compassion, professionalism, and kindness have stuck with me. Every person who has to make the decision to enter hospice should be so lucky to have Mary on their team. I hope, someday, to be able to thank her in person. In the meantime, I hope Mary can receive the highest recognition possible for her profession. Our experience would not have been the same without her there.