July 2017
Melinda
Atkins
,
RN, BSN, CCRN
CICU
Seattle Children's
Seattle
,
WA
United States

 

 

 

I have been here for over 3 months. Mindy has helped me through some of my most difficult times during this hospitalization. Before and after my second heart transplant, I have had adverse reactions to 2 different medications and Mindy helped me while I was having awful hallucinations. She talked me through those dark moments, held my hand and made sure I felt safe. She also comforted my parents during the whole process. When I had to choose to either give up and die or to continue to fight for my life, Mindy helped me find my voice and for that I will be forever grateful. There is no way to repay what she has done for me and my family. Mindy also helped me set goals for myself and when I exceeded my goals Mindy made me a gluten free chocolate cake as a reward (I have Celiac Disease). Mindy comes in on her breaks to check on me when I am not her patient, just to make sure that I am doing alright and to see if I need someone to talk to. She is a real gem and a very exceptional nurse.
***
Our son was diagnosed with TAPVR 24 hours after he was born. He was transferred from Tacoma General to Seattle Children's via ambulance, and we were not allowed to ride up with him. Our first interaction with Mindy was actually over the phone as we were driving to the hospital. Mindy filled us in on our son's arrival and status. She was so calm and positive, without even meeting her in person we felt so comforted knowing our son was with her. The next day Mindy took ample time to answer all of our questions about our son's condition and treatment. She explained all the medical procedures in terms we could understand without making us feel dumb or overwhelmed. She arranged times for us to meet with doctors so we could better understand what was going on. She also comforted us numerous times as we both emotionally broke down throughout the day. It was obvious that she adored our son and cared for him on a personal level. We felt so confident in the care Mindy gave to our son that we requested she be our son's nurse whenever she worked. We were beyond grateful that she was our son's nurse the day he went into surgery. That was the hardest day of our lives and it was made a little easier knowing that Mindy was the one who would be caring for our son when he came out of surgery. She was calm and professional in her treatment of our son, but she still managed to comfort my husband and I and once again made sure we were kept up on everything that was going on with him. After our son was transferred out of the CICU, Mindy made a special trip to the floor on her break to see how we were all doing. It was so awesome of her to do that. We love Mindy and really feel like she helped us through the hardest experience we've ever had. We don't know how we would have made it through without her!