B was a longtime patient on our unit post-OHT. He proved to be an especially difficult patient to care for as his smart wit and hardheaded nature tended to challenge whoever entered his room. One nurse, in particular, was able to always bring out the best in B. She was quick to reason with him, always patient through some trying times, and never missed a beat to have a full day of activities planned for B to create normalcy during such a long hospital stay.
B was always vocal about how Merrell was his favorite nurse; "She's my family," he would always say in anticipation of her being his nurse the next day. You could always tell when he had "Meru" as his nurse, as his smile was brighter and the general mood was elevated. Merrell picked up countless overtime shifts to care for B over the span of several months. She allowed him to shower in a "real shower" for the first time after months of bathing in his bed and would schedule his CVVH breaks at lunchtime every day so the two of them could have adventures downstairs.
She would go above and beyond for his lunchtime activities that included nerf wars in the garden, group lunches in the Seacrest Studios, UNO matches in the middle of the unit so he could socialize, and/or just the two of them eating post mates outside in the sunshine. Even recently she found out he was an inpatient on another unit and utilized her own lunch breaks to help him be more compliant with walking and leaving his room. She was his light and biggest supporter when his mom had to be away from the bedside. B was better because of the elevated care he received from Merrell!