April 2023
Renee
Guido
,
RN
MICU
Ochsner Medical Center- Main Campus New Orleans
New Orleans
,
LA
United States

 

 

 

Renee bought enough legacy cards to leave her one each year through her 18th birthday. This idea that Renee had touched this patient so much and was beneficial to her as a coping technique as she was coming to terms with dying.
In March 2023, we had a young patient in her 40s who was fighting a terminal lung disease. She had spent over three months with us on the unit trying to get better, but unfortunately, her lung disease continued to progress. She was given the devastating news that there were no longer any options we could offer her, and the best recommendation was hospice care. Imaginably, she was devastated, but more importantly, she was afraid to leave her 12-year-old daughter. These end-of-life situations are always challenging, but more so when children are involved. Renee took care of this patient on several occasions, forming a rapport with her and her family. As her final days were approaching, Renee realized the patient was deeply grieved that she would not be there to celebrate her daughter's future birthdays. Renee suggested she write her daughter a birthday message that could be given to her each year on her birthday. The patient wished she had cards to leave her. Renee was off the following day and went shopping for birthday cards that the patient could use to write sentiments to her daughter. Renee bought enough legacy cards to leave her one each year through her 18th birthday. This idea that Renee had touched this patient so much and was beneficial to her as a coping technique as she was coming to terms with dying. I know this small gesture that Renee did for this patient and her family will have a lasting impact. Renee always demonstrates compassion and kindness in her nursing care, and this is only one example of how she goes above and beyond in the spirit of the DAISY Award.