Rarely in our lives do we have the opportunity to seize upon a moment of greatness in normal, everyday, mundane activities. While the life of the nurse is not always a glamorous one, they are positioned in a unique situation of care, trust and relationship building. Monique Steinmetz is one of those nurses. After a double cardiac bypass, my father was transferred to TVHS for recovery. For him, Tri Valley is home and the team at Tri Valley is like near family.
Two days after his arrival, my father was having a tough time coping with his recovery. He was feeling anxious and wasn't dealing well with the pressure on his chest post-op. His nurse at the time, Monique, was caring for him and performing her normal nursing duties when my father asked to take a walk to work off some anxiety and agitation. Then the unthinkable happened. While walking with Monique, my father started to show signs of distress and collapsed and coded. Monique, exercising professional calmness, executed the high caliber of action from her training we have come to expect from Tri Valley staff. Monique performed a controlled fall of my father and immediately began chest compressions after determining that he was in an arrhythmia. Everything after that was a team effort and we, as the family, acknowledge this. However, it is the belief of the family, that Monique was there at the right time and place, and due to her professionalism, her quality of care, and her compassion, that her actions that night saved the life of my father. The fact that saving a life in a high-intensity environment where such an occurrence might be expected should not preclude the fact that such an action is not only heroic but deserves honor, mention and recognition. If Monique had not executed her training and if she had been an average nurse, the outcome might have been completely different. Monique is anything but average. While her swift actions that night allowed my father one more day to yell at me to change my oil in my car, or to harangue my mother about how he should be allowed to eat a tootsie roll pop, or beg his daughter-in-law to give him a shoulder rub, it would be all those interactions that we would no longer have.
Monique's care for my father did not end there. After his life flight and stay at Kearney Regional, he then returned to Tri Valley for Swing Bed care. Who else among his care team was there to help care for him but Monique? She offered the same compassionate care, the same high caliber of professional service, and most of all gave my dad some comfort and support that the person who saved his life was also going to be part of his eventual recovery and transition to home.
Monique has done so much more than save a life. She has represented the values of Tri Valley and its Hospital Team in the highest possible way. She has reinforced an already strong belief that Tri Valley provides service that would shame large city hospitals through professionalism, relationship building, and competence that are often taken for granted. Thank you, Monique, for giving us more time with our Father, Husband, Grandfather, Brother, and Friend. You have made us loyal patients for life.