I cannot begin to express the gratitude that my whole family has for the exceptional care that my grandfather received during his hospitalization. The dignity and compassion that he received during his entire stay takes my breath away. When I look back at this time on this unit, Molly will always come to mind. She was the initial RN who took care of him before and after his surgery. She saw him through a very critical part of his hospitalization.
She made a point to explain everything to any family member that entered the room. My grandmother has dementia and was perched right by my grandfather's side every single day of his hospital stay. Molly would not hesitate to engage my grandmother in my grandfather's care. Molly was always so patient with my grandmother and happily answered the same questions over and over again.
At one point, I chose to bring my children (his great-grandchildren) up to see him. He was still on a ventilator and sedated. I was very hesitant to have my children see their Poppy like this, but they had a very close relationship, and I wanted to make sure that they were given the opportunity to see him (we were unsure if he would pull through). When we arrived in his room, my son became very unsure and scared. I was trying to explain things to him while attending to my daughter, who was asking multiple questions and wanting to jump right up in bed with her Poppy. Molly instantly swooped in and began talking to my son. (let's face it, my son is 10 and rolls his eyes at anything that mom has to say!) She instantly assured him of everything that he was seeing, explained every little detail, and encouraged him to take my grandpa's hand and talk to him. She instantly eased my son's worries and anxiety. By no means did she have to do that. I even fessed up to her that I was second-guessing if this was a good idea for my kids to see their great grandfather like this, but she was so reassuring and encouraging.
Molly embodies every quality that all RNs should have. Compassion, patience, and seeing the patient as a whole person. I am an RN and an APRN, I have seen health systems fail in delivering high-quality care for adults both in my personal and professional life. Molly reminded me of the reasons why I chose to become an RN. She reminded me that compassionate care can be delivered anywhere. It's the little things that she did that made such an impact on myself and my entire family. Though we lost my grandfather, my family takes great comfort knowing that the last month of his life he was treated with the utmost respect and dignity. When we discuss all the caregivers who were involved in my grandfather's care, the one person everyone mentions is Molly. Thank you, Molly, for all that you did not only for my grandfather but my entire family. You do a thankless job and you are extraordinary!