We have had the opportunity to meet many of your staff in the past year as my father visited your hospital 8 – 10 times in the past 10 months. At no time while he was in your facility did we not receive the very best care your facility has to offer. We have met MANY staff members and all of them have made us feel very secure leaving our father in your care. Not one time in those 10 months did we worry about how he was being taken care of and we knew we could talk to any staff member if we had any problems, or questions, or if we just needed some reassurance.
When dad was admitted this last time, we treated his stay as we have all the others (like this was just another visit and he’d be home in no time). When he was moved to CCU, we began to realize that this stay wasn’t like all the others, that dad’s condition might get the best of him. That’s how we came into contact with Sharon and we’re extremely happy we did. From the minute she came on duty we felt like she was a part of our family. She talked to us and explained everything she did. At that point, dad was pretty much in a coma-like state, but she talked to him like he could understand her. She would tell him what she was doing, like rolling him over or adjusting his pillows. She also answered all our questions even though I’m sure most of them seemed pretty silly to her. Sharon treated us as if dad was her only patient. She was instrumental in getting the others doctors (the intensivist and the cardiologist) in the room so we could ask their opinions. Once we learned dad was not going to pull through this time. We were devastated. Sharon explained what to expect and what the process would be. We called in our family and were all by his side when he took his last breath. I am not sure if we would have all been there if Sharon hadn’t helped us get there.
After dad passed, Sharon gave us all the time in the world we needed to say our goodbyes. She even came to each one of us and gave us a hug to let us know she cared. This was the hardest thing we’ve had to deal with, and Sharon made us feel as good as anyone was going to be able to make us feel at that point. She even had us step out of the room so they could take off all the equipment, so our kids could say their goodbyes without all that tubing and what-not on him. She made sure we got everything we needed. The way Sharon handled the situation was not only professional, she made us feel like it was personal – like she was a good friend of our family. We appreciate her efforts tremendously, it felt like she went way above and beyond the call of duty. Sharon was the best part of that very trying time and we are very thankful she was there to help us through this process.