My first hospitalization I could not stop throwing up. Pat was not my assigned nurse, but she was the nurse who placed the NG tube to stop me from vomiting. I personally cannot fully remember what was going on, but I do remember hearing her calming voice telling me to "relax, we are doing all that we can. We know you're not doing well - hang in there."
In addition, I had another surgery and I was only to be in the hospital for one night; however, this turned into a nightmare long stay. The surgery went well, but the second night I started to have difficulty breathing. Guess who was my nurse? Pat! She sprang into action. She provided me the best care while also comforting me due to my increased anxiety. My breathing became more difficult and I had to have a CT scan. I had difficulty breathing but I remember my head was on Pat's lap with her saying, "K, this is needed. I know that this is hard, but you need to try and relax. We are doing all that we can." Pat's calm demeanor and true compassion helped me calm down.
To this day, I am so thankful for the skills and compassion that Pat has. I firmly believe that she knew what was happening to me before all of the tests. I am proud to nominate Pat for The DAISY Award.