Rachael Harless
March 2021
Rachael
Harless
,
RN
5W Pediatric Oncology
Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health
Indianapolis
,
IN
United States
Our daughter would look forward to Rachel coming in and being her nurse so she could walk with her around the unit. At times, this was the only reason why she would get out of bed.
We met her back at the beginning of February of 2019 when our little girl was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. We were obviously devastated, but she had a positive attitude and quickly formed a bond with our daughter. A week after being diagnosed and in the hospital, she had her 5th birthday. She brought in birthday gifts for her, which was very special to us for her to think about her patients outside of work. She also brought in a large bag of nail polish from her home to keep at work so she could paint her nails and the other nurse's nails. She kept that in her locker throughout her stays, which were mostly for 5 months at Riley.
Our daughter would look forward to Rachel coming in and being her nurse so she could walk with her around the unit. At times, this was the only reason why she would get out of bed. Sometimes her mouth hurt so bad but needed the mouth care, and once again she would only let Rachel help her. We felt comfortable with her as our nurse because not only was she knowledgeable and compassionate with her, she also was kind towards us as well.
Our daughter relapsed and was back in the hospital in 2020. Once again she would be at Riley for multiple months, this time eventually receiving a stem cell transplant. She seemed to not mind being there since she knew all of the nurses, whom she called her friends, but Rachel stood out. She again looked forward to those nightly walks with her. If she woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep, Rachel would take her out and play with her while I could get some sleep.
During one of her stays, she developed a cough. She knew her really well and knew something was wrong. She became our advocate to push for further testing right away instead of in the morning when talking to the resident on call. She was able to do her best by getting things moving that night to get further testing first thing in the morning. She ended up having a significant fungal lung infection. When we went to the Stem Cell Unit, our daughter missed her nurses.
On Halloween evening, she came by and visited with her and took her for some walks. She stayed and listened to her share a scary story that she made up. They were laughing together. Rachel is very special to our family, especially our daughter. She is knowledgeable in her job, advocates for her patients and family, but goes above and beyond caring for her patients besides only the medical care given. She is a true DAISY Nurse.
Our daughter would look forward to Rachel coming in and being her nurse so she could walk with her around the unit. At times, this was the only reason why she would get out of bed. Sometimes her mouth hurt so bad but needed the mouth care, and once again she would only let Rachel help her. We felt comfortable with her as our nurse because not only was she knowledgeable and compassionate with her, she also was kind towards us as well.
Our daughter relapsed and was back in the hospital in 2020. Once again she would be at Riley for multiple months, this time eventually receiving a stem cell transplant. She seemed to not mind being there since she knew all of the nurses, whom she called her friends, but Rachel stood out. She again looked forward to those nightly walks with her. If she woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep, Rachel would take her out and play with her while I could get some sleep.
During one of her stays, she developed a cough. She knew her really well and knew something was wrong. She became our advocate to push for further testing right away instead of in the morning when talking to the resident on call. She was able to do her best by getting things moving that night to get further testing first thing in the morning. She ended up having a significant fungal lung infection. When we went to the Stem Cell Unit, our daughter missed her nurses.
On Halloween evening, she came by and visited with her and took her for some walks. She stayed and listened to her share a scary story that she made up. They were laughing together. Rachel is very special to our family, especially our daughter. She is knowledgeable in her job, advocates for her patients and family, but goes above and beyond caring for her patients besides only the medical care given. She is a true DAISY Nurse.