This nomination story is about a new nurse, but you would never know this. No matter how busy Sami is, she makes the time to make each patient feel like they are her only patient. I receive so many compliments about the care that Sami provides, and I am proud to have her on my team. In one day, I had five different families reach out to me about the wonderful care Sami provides. All of them were memorable, but there was one that really stuck out.
We were very busy one day with sick people. The staff was running. The wife of one of these patients reached out to me to let me know her story. Sami had a patient that was very ill, and the wife was not ready to accept that he was at the end of life. They had been married for 50 years and were high school sweethearts.
"Sami came in and immediately made me feel like I was as important as my husband. She took her time with us both. Never rushing me but allowed me to ask questions. I never had to ask for anything, she made sure it was right there. Like she could read my mind. Her smile and soft voice were such a comfort to me as I sat and watched my husband slowly leave me. Sami encouraged me to hold his hand and talk to him, explaining that he could still hear me. I sat there, talked to him, and told stories about our life together and the memories that we shared. She was just so lovely and caring. She left the room many times promising me that she would return shortly, and she did. Each time with simple things for me- a blanket, tissues, and a soft drink. She stood there listening and smiling. She spoke to my husband and included him in on the conversation even though I know she knew that he was not truly there, but she spoke so softly and gently to him. The soft drink meant so much to me because I know she had to take time away from her patients to go and get it. It was a simple act of kindness that made my heart explode. Sami never forced me to accept but allowed me the time to accept that I was losing my best friend. When it was time for her shift to end, she came back one more time and hugged me, and as she pulled away, the tears that she shared let me know she truly did care. She even bent over and told my husband bye, and I could almost swear that he smiled at her sweet voice.
I am telling you this not out of pity for my husband, but because I want you to know the kind of nurse Sami is. She made me feel like we were important, her only patient. It was only after she left, and the new nurse came on did I realize just how busy she and the rest of the emergency room staff were that I knew that God placed an angel in the emergency room for us that day. I lost my husband, but Sami will always be someone that I remember for making the last moments with him the very best they could be. We "shared" his favorite soda and the best of memories one last time in his room. I just want to make sure that Sami knows how thankful we are to her."