It is heartbreaking having a family member in the ICU, especially when you are an experienced ICU nurse. My grandma was admitted to the cardiac floor for difficulty breathing. She was transferred to the ICU with worsening shortness of breath that required higher oxygen. Getting that call from the nurse stopped time. Being from the ICU, I knew what could possibly happen. I could lose one of the most important people I have in my life. I felt being on "the other side" would have been easier with my experience. I am humbled to say, it was not.

I went to see my grandma and was an absolute wreck. What was I walking into? What kind of decisions would we have to make on her behalf? Upon entering the room, I saw her struggling to breathe during her oxygen device exchange, and next to her was Riley. Riley was calmly talking with her and coaching her to take deep breaths and to relax her breathing. She smiled at her with such kindness and told her she was doing a great job. Riley's focus was on my grandma and not the chaos that is the ICU. She saw her for who she was, a vulnerable and scared woman needing her help. In that moment, once again, time stopped for me. It was not the same feelings. It was calm and happiness. How lucky was my grandma to have someone so utterly kind and patient take care of her? In that moment, I felt truly blessed and thankful to have Riley be with my grandma.

Once Riley stabilized my grandma, she wasted no time introducing herself and getting to know me as the "nurse granddaughter." She gave me a status update all while including my grandma in the conversation and planning. This small gesture put both myself and grandma at ease knowing what was to come. Being a nurse, I wanted to be as helpful and involved. Riley was more than happy to have me participate and assisted me as well with her cares. She made it seem as if my grandma was her number one focus, even though I knew she had a full ICU assignment. When I asked Riley if I could be a part of the care team rounds to advocate on my grandma's behalf, she wasted no time saying yes, even though no one has ever asked her this before in the past. Riley welcomed me into their team's discussion. I am so grateful to her for this. Very quickly, it came down to decision time for my grandma's plan of care. Many providers presented my grandma with options for her treatment. Through every conversation and medical recommendation, Riley was there. She allowed me to focus on hearing the treatment plans being presented and solely supported my grandma during this very information-heavy time. I had doubts about the options. Riley put my mind at ease and had frank conversations with me, nurse to nurse. This allowed me to explain and help my grandma make her own decisions.

Today, my grandma is happy at home after having a heart procedure. Without Riley, I truly feel that my grandma would not be with me here today. From one ICU nurse to another, thank you, Riley.