My husband suffered a massive stroke, got extremely septic with a MSSA staff infection and was in congestive heart failure. M was otherwise healthy two days prior to his stroke. After a day filled with only the tiniest sliver of hope offered by several medical teams of my 38-year-old husband's survival, I was lost. My beloved husband and father of our three young children was more than likely going to die. Unimaginable! My brain could not process it all as there was a crack in my universe.
Paige was M's first day nurse at Nebraska Medicine and boy did she set the bar high. She was exactly what M and I both needed that first of the 54 days in the hospital. She was thorough, knowledgeable and compassionate. It is almost as if she floated in and out of the room as she completed her tasks. She made it look effortless. By the end of a long day, when my world was quite literally crumbling around me, I asked if I could lay near M. He had tubes, a vent, and IVs out of every possible place. She very quietly nodded her head and gave me one of the best gifts of my life. She moved M over in bed, safely adjusted his medical equipment and helped me lie next to my husband. As I attempted to thank her for the cherished gift she said, "It's what I would want if I were in your shoes." Empathy is often lost, but Paige is truly compassionate and empathetic. For those brief moments with M, I closed my eyes as I felt the warmth of his hands and for the first time felt safe. I needed that, but truly I think M needed my love. Paige understood that her role was to give M the best possible medical care and my role was to fill him with Love. Little did she know she filled our whole world with Love.