Paula Ridl
March 2017
Paula
Ridl
,
RN, BSN
Medical Surgical Carle Hoopeston Regional Health Center
Carle Foundation Hospital
Urbana
,
IL
United States

 

 

 

I came into the Emergency Room with massive bleeding following a miscarriage. I was terrified. I tried not to let it show, and was joking around with the doctors and paramedics but I honestly thought that I was going to die that day. The staff was incredible. I cannot tell you enough how amazing they were.
Paula deserves special recognition above them all. The Emergency Room was crazy that day. Paula was pulled from another unit to assist. She quickly stepped into the room to hook up my blood transfusion and explained everything she was doing all along the way. There were some minor problems with the pump and I could tell the paramedics were anxious to get it figured out before we left, but Paula simply kept her cool and figured out what was happening and got the pump situation fixed. As they hooked up my blood, they instructed my husband to go ahead and leave for C-U so that he could beat the ambulance there. However, I had 15 minutes of transfusion before I was allowed to be transferred and suddenly I was alone in my bed with no one but coworkers surrounding me. I turned to Paula and asked her if she could stay and hold my hand. She did just that for the next 15 minutes. There were people running everywhere, and I know she was needed elsewhere, but Paula stayed and held my hand until I was led away. I know it wasn't much, but to me, on that day, it was everything.