Orchid went out of her way to find the daughter of a patient. She said the patient was struggling with the inability to contact her daughter, who was homeless and thought to still be living in her car somewhere in our city. Regardless of this not being her responsibility, Orchid went out with vague directions to both find the patient's daughter and bring her to her mother. The daughter wrote:
I was left in a place where my mother had not learned the street name of Florence Avenue; only that I was last near gas stations and body shops. But Orchid found my home, a gray minivan. I was a mess and pleaded for anyone to hear my story. I was drenched in sweat and used jackets near the windows to keep the sun away. "Is that you?" Simple words, and yet, they were a symphony orchestrated by eternal angels. It was Orchid and our shared words touched something in her heart.
Such humanity is nearly foreign to me. Why would someone care about a homeless stranger? Why not give her time and energy to someone more deserving? But Orchid was different. She had empathy. She was determined to help, and she did. She had no reason to help. She could have lost my mom in the sea of faces she sees daily in the Emergency Department. She did not. The kindness did not stop there, No, Orchid, and her husband, allowed me into their home to shower. In addition, she offered to watch my dog while I visited my mother.
When I got to the hospital, my mom burst into tears when I entered her room with a bag full of food (because Orchid remembered my mom disliking her hospital meals!). We held each other and cried. The relief was overwhelming and now as I write this, my mother sleeps peacefully beside me. This was the sign I was in desperate need of. This is my motivation and we will rise from this. I promise. Thank you to Orchid for having a heart of gold! You are the embodiment of what a nurse should always aspire to be!