I was at my niece's wedding and the bride's mom and aunt informed me at the reception of a wonderful co-worker I have. Their mother/grandmother was in the hospital and had to miss her granddaughter's wedding. Sarah Wolters was her case manager and found out that the patient would not be able to attend the wedding. On the day of the wedding, Sarah, her husband, and two small children drove to Dubuque to sit with the patient for about an hour and bring her flowers. Sarah was not working that day and doesn't even live close by. Sarah had no idea that I am connected to the patient and her family. Having such a special, caring coworker is what makes me so very proud to say, "I work at MercyOne."
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Sarah is a nurse case manager and works on all the different units. She was covering on the surgical services unit on a Friday and that Monday, I met with a patient and her daughter that wanted to share their story. Sarah had been working with the patient on her discharge plans. The patient expressed being disappointed that she was going to miss her granddaughter's wedding due to being in the hospital. The patient and her daughter shared with me that Sarah came in to visit the patient on her day off, the day of the wedding, and brought a vase of flowers. This gesture meant so much to the patient and her daughter. Sarah showed personalized care for this patient and her family. They recognized this kindness and said that it made them feel even more comfortable with the patient having to be in the hospital. Sarah knew that the patient's family would all be at the family wedding and wanted her to have something special. Thank you, Sarah, for taking such good care of our patients!