November 2021
Samuel
Lovitz
,
RN
Surgical Intensive Care Unit
Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
Cleveland
,
OH
United States
Sam truly cares about his patients, goes above and beyond to keep them comfortable, and truly makes a difference in the lives of both his patients and their families
My son, H, was admitted to the H81 on Wednesday, with pneumonia and dehydration. During his admission, the nurses and physicians on H81 did not meet my desired level of care for him. Due in part to that, he decompensated, and on Saturday and an AMET was called on him which led to him being transferred to the SICU. While there his oxygen levels, respirations, and heart rate continued to worsen and his caregivers ultimately decided that he needed to be intubated because his body was struggling. I work in the pharmacy at another hospital and have had experience "seeing" patients intubated, but it is a completely different set of emotions when it is your own 19-year-old lying there unresponsive with a tube helping him breathe.
That first day consisted of me never leaving his side and being worried about how long he would have to remain intubated and completely scared out of my mind. All of his nurses in the SICU were wonderful, but Sam was above and beyond the best nurse I have ever experienced. He was calm, answered all of my questions, soothed my fears, and actually communicated with H when he would not respond to me. I told Sam that my son was a die-hard New England Patriots fan and Sam came over to him and told him that he had the game on for him and that Tom Brady threw a touchdown pass. H actually squeezed his hand to show that he heard him. He then asked him if he was in any pain and H was able to shake his head yes and no to Sam's questions even though he was completely sedated. No one else had tried to communicate with him. For the first time in almost 24 hours, I felt like everything was going to be all right.
Sam is extremely compassionate. He even checked on H's progress when he was scheduled on a different day and not his nurse. Once H was extubated and started walking with Physical Therapy, Sam would give him a thumbs up from G52 as he moved through the hallway. Sam truly cares about his patients, goes above and beyond to keep them comfortable, and truly makes a difference in the lives of both his patients and their families. He is a completely amazing nurse and I want everyone to know how much his hands-on approach and caring attitude were appreciated. Sam exemplifies what a nurse should be and is an absolute asset to the Cleveland Clinic and to the SICU.
That first day consisted of me never leaving his side and being worried about how long he would have to remain intubated and completely scared out of my mind. All of his nurses in the SICU were wonderful, but Sam was above and beyond the best nurse I have ever experienced. He was calm, answered all of my questions, soothed my fears, and actually communicated with H when he would not respond to me. I told Sam that my son was a die-hard New England Patriots fan and Sam came over to him and told him that he had the game on for him and that Tom Brady threw a touchdown pass. H actually squeezed his hand to show that he heard him. He then asked him if he was in any pain and H was able to shake his head yes and no to Sam's questions even though he was completely sedated. No one else had tried to communicate with him. For the first time in almost 24 hours, I felt like everything was going to be all right.
Sam is extremely compassionate. He even checked on H's progress when he was scheduled on a different day and not his nurse. Once H was extubated and started walking with Physical Therapy, Sam would give him a thumbs up from G52 as he moved through the hallway. Sam truly cares about his patients, goes above and beyond to keep them comfortable, and truly makes a difference in the lives of both his patients and their families. He is a completely amazing nurse and I want everyone to know how much his hands-on approach and caring attitude were appreciated. Sam exemplifies what a nurse should be and is an absolute asset to the Cleveland Clinic and to the SICU.