Sarah McWhirt
February 2018
Sarah
Mcwhirt
,
RN
Neuro ICU
University Health System - San Antonio
San Antonio
,
TX
United States

 

 

 

In mid-February we had a TOSA patient who is one of the saddest cases we have had in a long while. A 21-year-old girl came in after a horrific car accident that left her and her wife intubated and in the ICU. It was the kind of car accident that made the news and shut down the highway for hours. The girl was from out of state and had gotten married the day before the accident. Her family flew down as quick as they could and were met with a parent's worst nightmare, a brain-dead daughter. Sarah took care of this patient and her family in their time of need. She was everything that you want in a nurse during a time like this. She was comforting and kind. She took time to explain everything that was going on and guided them on what to expect next. She was present when she needed to be and knew when the family needed alone time. The family was very grateful during this time. They repeatedly told her and the other nurses how that although it was very sad for them they were grateful that they had such a caring nurse and that they knew she was doing everything she could for their daughter. She made a big impact on this family. She was able to take a terrible situation and make it a little bit better for the family just by being there. I am proud to work with someone like her!