Maureen Wittman
May 2016
Maureen
Wittman
,
BSN, RN
Medical ICU
Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia
Philadelphia
,
PA
United States
My brother, T, was admitted to Einstein MICU. He was unconscious and on life support when he arrived after a choking accident.
T was the youngest of six children in our family and was affected with several disabilities, including Down's Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and Epilepsy. T spent the first fourteen years of his life amidst the hustle and bustle of a large growing family and was very much a part of the friends and neighbors, comings and goings, parties and music. For his entire life, T would love the music.
If T had been conscious when he arrived at MICU, the staff would have gotten to know this man of fifty-five, and despite the fact that he never had speech; they would have recognized his mellow and sweet personality.
All of the staff at Einstein - nurses, doctors, attendants, and x-ray techs - were all exceptional. To me, Maureen Wittman stood above the crowd because of her quiet competence, her intelligence, her patience, and her kindness.
After explaining an entire scenario to my brother and me, she would repeat the entire thing on the phone to my sister in Florida. But most importantly, she took care of T. She did what was necessary, but also went the extra mile: one day, she cleaned T's ears. That may seem like a simple thing, but I was very touched by that because in regard to an unconscious patient, it was very much a gesture of respect for T, and something I'm sure made him feel more clean and comfortable.
Maureen attended to T in the last three days of his life. She was there in the operating room when he was prepped for organ donation, waiting patiently in the cold OR, even though I believe her shift was over. T continued to breathe on his own after the tube was removed and was sent back to his room. Maureen was there when he took his last breath, and was there to offer her condolences to me and my family.
After eight days of looking at my brother in the bed, hooked up to life support, it was very difficult to get that picture out of my head. However, I now have a picture in my head of T, tall, strong, and healthy, happily walking away from his pain. But the picture of Maureen's beautiful face - I shall never forget. Maureen personifies the true nature of what a nurse is and brings to the profession her talent, intelligence, patience, and kindness.
Thank you, Maureen, for the loving care you gave our brother.
T was the youngest of six children in our family and was affected with several disabilities, including Down's Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and Epilepsy. T spent the first fourteen years of his life amidst the hustle and bustle of a large growing family and was very much a part of the friends and neighbors, comings and goings, parties and music. For his entire life, T would love the music.
If T had been conscious when he arrived at MICU, the staff would have gotten to know this man of fifty-five, and despite the fact that he never had speech; they would have recognized his mellow and sweet personality.
All of the staff at Einstein - nurses, doctors, attendants, and x-ray techs - were all exceptional. To me, Maureen Wittman stood above the crowd because of her quiet competence, her intelligence, her patience, and her kindness.
After explaining an entire scenario to my brother and me, she would repeat the entire thing on the phone to my sister in Florida. But most importantly, she took care of T. She did what was necessary, but also went the extra mile: one day, she cleaned T's ears. That may seem like a simple thing, but I was very touched by that because in regard to an unconscious patient, it was very much a gesture of respect for T, and something I'm sure made him feel more clean and comfortable.
Maureen attended to T in the last three days of his life. She was there in the operating room when he was prepped for organ donation, waiting patiently in the cold OR, even though I believe her shift was over. T continued to breathe on his own after the tube was removed and was sent back to his room. Maureen was there when he took his last breath, and was there to offer her condolences to me and my family.
After eight days of looking at my brother in the bed, hooked up to life support, it was very difficult to get that picture out of my head. However, I now have a picture in my head of T, tall, strong, and healthy, happily walking away from his pain. But the picture of Maureen's beautiful face - I shall never forget. Maureen personifies the true nature of what a nurse is and brings to the profession her talent, intelligence, patience, and kindness.
Thank you, Maureen, for the loving care you gave our brother.