Shannon's empathy and kindness was more than any medicine or doctor could have done for us on the one day she was our Dad's RN.
The day started with a number of therapists with multiple tests and our Dad and my emotions were high. Our Dad's condition started to seem very bleak with his diagnoses and yet, somehow he survived "dying" after CPR over a month ago. After leaving the hospital a month ago, he had wanted to lift the DNR. That changed when he needed to come back this month. I wanted to help him make sure all of that was in place so there were no questions. It was very emotional, and Shannon was always there to let us know our questions were valid and to ask as many as we needed.
It was overwhelming and we didn't know who to ask as there were so many specialist/ therapists/ chaplains/ case workers in during that day. It was bad timing as there had been so many people to evaluate our Dad and our emotions were very high. It was a roller coaster for our Dad and me.
What really stood out with Shannon and her care was after that emotional and hard interaction she was there in such a kind and thoughtful way. She made our dad and me feel better. She assured us we should and can ask as many questions as we need and helped us to get to a better place by helping us get the questions to the correct people.
Her compassion and empathy were outstanding. On top of all this heavy stuff, she also had a nursing student with her and it was incredible. She always had our Dad's wellbeing as the top priority all while teaching her student (Sally - also outstanding on the empathy skills!) with such composure and calmness. It gave Sally the confidence to complete the necessary care and gave our Dad the peace of mind that he was getting the best care. And for me, personally Shannon was critical in my mental wellbeing and I can't thank her enough.