Serara Green-Chavarria
October 2023
Serara
Green-Chavarria
,
BSN, RN
ICU
Pennsylvania Hospital
Philadelphia
,
PA
United States

 

 

 

ALL my vitals suggested I was not doing well, but oddly enough, at the moment, I didn’t feel scared. She had so much confidence in each step she took that I had this overwhelming sense of peace and comfort.
I was in the hospital to receive an open myomectomy. During my surgery I lost 900ml of blood. I was in the recovery room when I was given a narcotic for pain and, unfortunately, had a severe adverse reaction. I had to be given Narcan to come back to life which started a series of events. First, my blood pressure dropped significantly and at its lowest level was 60/40. That is when a barrage (at least 15) medical professionals, stormed my room to determine the next course of action. I remember being in and out as they all discussed options. Insert Serara. I’m not sure how she ended up coming up from ICU to be one of the voices involved in my care, but I am so thankful that she was. She was so levelheaded as options, which included putting a port in my neck as my veins had collapsed, were discussed. I remember her saying, “She just needs products, guys,” as she recommended getting me on a blood pressure medication and starting a blood transfusion. It was later discovered I developed a hematoma during surgery, which likely also contributed to my low blood pressure. Serara just took charge and really knew what to do. She sang with me as I was transported to ICU, she explained the machine she used to get the blood in me ASAP, she really just made me feel confident that I would recover. She treated me as if I was her little sister. ALL my vitals suggested I was not doing well, but oddly enough, at the moment, I didn’t feel scared. She had so much confidence in each step she took that I had this overwhelming sense of peace and comfort. It also gave my mom a sense of peace as she was able to remain calm while all of this happened. Fun fact, Serara is actually on day shift and for whatever reason was working that night. Godsend. Her team jokingly said I could call her Serara or “Traitor” because of her swap from Night shift. But I just cannot say or thank her enough for what I believed saved my life and accelerated my recovery. While it was a team effort, obviously, because the whole squad treated me amazingly, Serara stood out and will forever have a place in my heart.