Rey Mata Jr.
July 2021
Reynaldo
Mata
,
RN
4 Meijer Heart Center
Spectrum Health Fred and Lena Meijer Heart Center
Grand Rapids
,
MI
United States
He made us as parents feel comfortable and that is a skill untrained in a classroom. Rey’s exceptional care, attention, and compassion are something Spectrum Health should be proud to have on their team.
Our special needs daughter was admitted to 4MHC with pancreatitis, extreme pain, respiratory distress, and multiple complications that came along with contributing factors due to her health complexity. Multiple variables, ups, and downs, words used such as Oncology, respiratory failure, and the ever-so-scary vent were used. We cried and we prayed.
Rey took care of our princess three nights in a row and the care was exceptional. Having a non-verbal child comes with the very difficult task of parental assumption. Is it pain? Does she need any meds? Is she comfortable? The list of ‘ifs’ is endless. But one thing that brings comfort to a very difficult and unknown situation, is having a Nurse that talks to the patient. Rey has this unfearing way to connect with people.
Quite often we’ve found that our frustration elevates when people don’t treat Taylor the same way as Rey would with someone who can verbalize. With this, explanations of things such as “I’m going to poke your finger” or “I’m giving you meds” just go left unsaid. With every poke, wristband scan, IV hang, touch, and simple walk in the room for a check, Rey acknowledged Taylor. Not my husband and I first, but Taylor. He made us as parents feel comfortable and that is a skill untrained in a classroom. Rey’s exceptional care, attention, and compassion are something Spectrum Health should be proud to have on their team. True compassion means not only feeling another’s pain but also being moved to help relieve it. Thank you, Rey, for loving our princess – you will never be forgotten!
Rey took care of our princess three nights in a row and the care was exceptional. Having a non-verbal child comes with the very difficult task of parental assumption. Is it pain? Does she need any meds? Is she comfortable? The list of ‘ifs’ is endless. But one thing that brings comfort to a very difficult and unknown situation, is having a Nurse that talks to the patient. Rey has this unfearing way to connect with people.
Quite often we’ve found that our frustration elevates when people don’t treat Taylor the same way as Rey would with someone who can verbalize. With this, explanations of things such as “I’m going to poke your finger” or “I’m giving you meds” just go left unsaid. With every poke, wristband scan, IV hang, touch, and simple walk in the room for a check, Rey acknowledged Taylor. Not my husband and I first, but Taylor. He made us as parents feel comfortable and that is a skill untrained in a classroom. Rey’s exceptional care, attention, and compassion are something Spectrum Health should be proud to have on their team. True compassion means not only feeling another’s pain but also being moved to help relieve it. Thank you, Rey, for loving our princess – you will never be forgotten!