Melissa cared for my five-year-old boy who was admitted for three days in hopes of determining the cause of a persistent high fever and abdominal pain. In the preceding six weeks, he had been in the ER three times and to the PCP three times with the same fever and abdominal pain. He had numerous IVs and blood draws over the course of those weeks. I watched while large individuals were brought in to physically hold him down while he screamed and thrashed about. I watched while big scary trays of supplies were set next to him and while providers never spoke to him about it. I watched while they poked and jabbed him. I watched as he bruised. I listened to his screams and I held him as he cried and cried after each time. And then for hours, he would lay there miserable with that board on his arm. His anxiety about getting the IV the day we were admitted was 10/10.
But we would be blessed this time with Melissa. Even though it was late at night and he was anxious and exhausted, she worked until she connected with him. She let him choose where to put the IV (hand, no board) and made him feel so proud about his decision. She somehow prepped it all while keeping him smiling and feeling in control. She answered every one of the 87 questions he asked. She kept him calm and put that IV in so quickly and smoothly. He watched the whole time without a tear. He cried after but only for a minute and was then wholly amused by the IV "house" and the sleeping dog sticker she gave him. Before she could even get the IV hooked up, he promptly went to sleep- exhausted.
Melissa spent the night tiptoeing around the room, hooking up his IV, untangling his IV, and taking my child's vitals without ever waking him up. You could actually feel how much she cared. Melissa embodied high-quality, family-centered, compassionate care. I will always feel indebted to how wonderful she was to me and my son for those twelve hours. She was truly exceptional.