I just want to share the level of care and compassion that was shown to my mother when she was a patient at South Lake Hospital. The level of professionalism, kindness, and dignity she was provided in a shocking and unexpected situation was more than my family could have asked for. 

Mom came into the ER with what was described as a small sub-arachnoid bleed on the left side of her brain. She was asked to come to the ER by her PCP for a CT with contrast, and she was here reluctantly. She asked that we get her clean clothes and come back, as she was sure she wasn’t staying. Within 90 minutes of her being checked in, she suffered a massive frontal lobe bleed, which she wouldn’t recover from. 

When my father and I arrived back at the ER, Mom was intubated, and we were told that she would not make a recovery from her injury. The doctor was honest and straightforward, explaining the level of damage that took place and what we could expect if she survived. 

We didn’t know what to expect as that Saturday went on until we met Jean Nirajan. Jean was mom’s nurse, but she took care of the entire family. Whenever she came into the room, she addressed my mom and talked to her the whole time she was taking care of her. She would tell Mom every time she was going to provide medication, reposition her arms, or just cover her in a way that would be “more comfortable for any person.” She also took time to sit with my dad to understand what his expectations were, as well as explain what was happening and every next step. She also made sure that my dad, who is a diabetic, had food so he didn’t have to leave the room. The comfort cart that was provided had snacks and drinks that he could have without a second thought.  She also had hugs and words of encouragement for the family and was there, holding Dad’s arm when Mom took her last breath. Jean made us feel that she was going through this with us.

I also need to thank the two CNAs who were assigned to Mom’s room. They are young, but they are two of the kindest people. In an attempt to make Mom more comfortable, Dad asked one of them if she would help him reposition her. Her answer was a firm “no,” followed by, “I’ll go get my partner, and we will move her the way you think she will be most comfortable. You direct us, and we will make it happen.” They were in the room in less than two minutes with wedges and extra bedding and listened to everything that Dad asked for. They talked to Mom the whole time, telling her that they wanted her more comfortable and they were going to ask Dad for guidance. They then tucked her in and told Dad they would be back every two hours to move her. They came back every 45 to 60 minutes to ask if Dad thought that she was still comfortable in her current position and if he needed anything to be more comfortable. They were also there with us when Mom passed, offering a level of support that isn’t even covered under “and other duties”.

The fact that these people treated my mom as if she was responding and that she might be able to understand what was happening meant the world to my family. Any time we asked them why they were so kind, the only answer we got was, “Because we don’t know that she can’t understand.” Mom was a proud, stubborn, and independent person, and she was afforded a level of dignity and respect that was beyond medical care. This was full family care, and we can’t thank all of them enough.

We use the word “team” to describe our staff members. This group of people truly worked as a team to take care of Mom as well as us during a frightening and unexpected medical emergency.  We would not have been able to handle this situation without them. Each of these people needs to be recognized for going above and beyond.