Mercy Gorillo
August 2016
Mercy
Gorillo
,
RN, BSN
Medical Oncology
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Philadelphia
,
PA
United States
My husband was very sick and doctors had given him "minutes to days" to live, when Mercy started treating him. She not only took the time to care for him but she also helped to calm and reassure me and my family. She took care of my husband for two nights in a row- including the night he passed. Without Mercy the situation would have been much more unbearable. It takes a special kind of person to treat a person at the end of their days with the kindness and compassion that she did.
***
The night shift staff, I consider to function as a family. Mercy is seen as the head of the family. She is looked up to and respected by all of her peers. While working at night when difficult situations would develop, Mercy was the calming presence for the staff as well as the patient. She is such a skilled clinician that in the midst of chaos she makes an accurate assessment and relies on her years of experience to handle things with ease. There were many instances when a patient may just need someone to wrap their arms around them and acknowledge their struggle in order for them to feel that someone cared. I have witnessed Mercy sitting in silence at the bedside just holding a patient's hand until their fears subsided. I have found Mercy in the middle of the night documenting in a room so a patient wasn't alone. She has a way of making you feel that you are the only one in her care by taking her time to listen to the patient as well as the family. Allowing them to confide in her their innermost thoughts and concerns in regards to their disease.
She is patient and kind with a heart full of love for everyone. Mercy taught me to look at the whole picture. When the patient or family member is acting out to the staff or seemingly not appreciative of the care we are giving, she reminds us to not be judgmental. We don't know what path of life this person may have gone down that lead to this place in time. People may have had outside factors beyond their control that have shaped them into the person we see before us. These are just a few of the statements she would say when she saw us struggling.
I have to say that I was not surprised by the beautiful letter the patient's family wrote about Mercy. This is the kind of nurse she is every day. This is the kind of person she is. While she possesses all these outstanding traits, she is very humble and understated. She demands no recognition for any of the wonderful things she does. She probably does not realize that she is special. It is just who she is and how she cares for not only her patients but everyone.
***
The night shift staff, I consider to function as a family. Mercy is seen as the head of the family. She is looked up to and respected by all of her peers. While working at night when difficult situations would develop, Mercy was the calming presence for the staff as well as the patient. She is such a skilled clinician that in the midst of chaos she makes an accurate assessment and relies on her years of experience to handle things with ease. There were many instances when a patient may just need someone to wrap their arms around them and acknowledge their struggle in order for them to feel that someone cared. I have witnessed Mercy sitting in silence at the bedside just holding a patient's hand until their fears subsided. I have found Mercy in the middle of the night documenting in a room so a patient wasn't alone. She has a way of making you feel that you are the only one in her care by taking her time to listen to the patient as well as the family. Allowing them to confide in her their innermost thoughts and concerns in regards to their disease.
She is patient and kind with a heart full of love for everyone. Mercy taught me to look at the whole picture. When the patient or family member is acting out to the staff or seemingly not appreciative of the care we are giving, she reminds us to not be judgmental. We don't know what path of life this person may have gone down that lead to this place in time. People may have had outside factors beyond their control that have shaped them into the person we see before us. These are just a few of the statements she would say when she saw us struggling.
I have to say that I was not surprised by the beautiful letter the patient's family wrote about Mercy. This is the kind of nurse she is every day. This is the kind of person she is. While she possesses all these outstanding traits, she is very humble and understated. She demands no recognition for any of the wonderful things she does. She probably does not realize that she is special. It is just who she is and how she cares for not only her patients but everyone.