We arrived at St. Joseph's terrified and unsure of what to expect. For whatever reason, we did not anticipate being admitted and certainly not admitted with an apparent meningitis diagnosis with a 6-8 stay in the hospital. Apparently, our daughter was a little bit of medical mystery.
We've seen a ton of nurses and doctors and I am thoroughly impressed by the staff of this hospital. The number of staff members who have stopped me in the hallway asking how she was doing even after she left their care is many in number and dear to my heart. The staff I've encountered truly loves their job and they do it with passion.
A pediatric nurse is always dealing with two sets of patients, so-to-speak. The actual patient and then their crumbling parents. Their role becomes more complicated: nurse the patient to health and calm the parents whose world appears to be crashing down around them. From my perspective, it is nurse, plus psychologist on the side. I know I can be challenging. My expectations are high, and I'm told I'm hard to please. You can thank my father for that. I do not hold back, and I wear my emotions on my sleeve. It is my biggest curse and my biggest blessing. We did not realize how much pain our daughter had and for how long. This journey has opened our eyes to that. Our daughter was so nervous and in so much pain. Diaper changes hurt, moving hurt and so we were a ball of nerves. We asked a million questions and have had them all answered.
Everyone was so gentle with our little one. The PICU staff is top-notch. I'm certain there isn't a better set of people that could staff the unit. When your nurses' presences calm me; you know you've hired the right staff.
"To do what nobody else will do, a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through, is to be a nurse." - Rawsi Williams
Our PICU night nurse, Sarah, was a godsend. Our daughter was nervous with every new face we've encountered, but Sarah she warmed up to quickly. No one that we have encountered in our medical journey has been able to calm our daughter as quickly and effectively as Sarah. Our daughter was in a lot of pain and Sarah knew how to talk to her to get her to communicate and she explained everything so wonderfully, not only to us but more importantly, to our daughter. She was gentle and explained every move so that our daughter was as comfortable as possible. The following night, we had another nurse, yet Sarah came in any time she heard our daughter upset. She and our daughter clearly had a special bond. Our daughter would even say, "Thank me Ms. Sarah" and for our daughter, whose speech is delayed; she doesn't often call people by name. Sarah kept us informed of everything and we knew that as long as she was there, our daughter had an advocate for her health, not just a caregiver. Sarah has a way with my daughter that melted me. It often brought tears to my eyes at how sweet their bond was. I knew I didn't have to worry at night as long as Sarah was there and as a mother, I'm not sure there's anything more important. I can rest if I know I have the best nurse taking care of my baby. When she handed us off to another nurse the next night, she made sure I knew she was still available if needed. She and the other nurse teamed up to keep our daughter calm and it was a beautiful thing.
Then we met our daytime PICU nurse, Rebeka and my heart imploded. I felt an immediate connection with her. She knew how to calm me as I paced the room. She even had me laughing, and often. Rebeka approaches nursing with a sense of transparency and patient advocacy as I've never encountered. She will always do what is right and best for her patient and their family. She wanted answers as quickly as I wanted answers. She has the mentality of a leader and a passion for her patient's health. Our daughter trusted her and knew when she was there that she was safe (and so did I). I even ran home to take care of errands and Rebeka talked to me over the phone to calm me as they prepared to move our daughter out of PICU. I was a wreck. She knew I would feel guilty for leaving and talked me through it, promised me she would talk in detail to the nurse. All I could say is, "but she isn't you". I wasn't at the hospital and in my mind, our daughter wasn't ready, and no one could care for her like Rebeka. I cried as I feared leaving her care and I'm crying as I write this now. She's made a lasting impression on my heart and my family. From my experience in corporate management, I often heard the negative; so, hearing the positive was always so refreshing. I loved those moments when I got to hear what lasting impression my staff made on them and always had chills. It was the best part of my job. So here I am, giving credit and accolades where it is due. Please embarrass them and read it in front of everyone. The quality of their care is indescribable.