On Tuesday, September 21st, the Cath Lab received a 54 year old male with a ST elevation MI, intubated, and unstable. The patient had been out with his family for lunch when he collapsed. The family waited in the cath lab waiting room and was being updated on his condition by nurse team leader Sharon. He was found to have a type 1 aortic dissection and was going to need emergent surgery. The family was obviously scared and asked Sharon to tell the patient 2 words to let him know it was from his wife.

Sharon immediately went to the lab and asked the technologist in on the case to relate the information to the patient. While they were working on him, the technologist bent down by the patient’s ear and told him that his wife wanted to make sure he heard the words from his wife. The patient moved his head, appearing to have recognized the words. The technologist repeated it to him again, and the patient again demonstrated recognition of words.

At the end of the day, Sharon was back in the Cath Lab finishing up. When Sharon heard that the patient had died, Sharon went up to the operating waiting room where the family was being counseled by our pastoral care. Sharon told the family that she wanted to make sure that their wishes were followed and that their loved one indeed heard the words they wanted him to hear. Sharon told them of how he shook his head and demonstrated recognition of the words, and he was aware they were from his family.

The family started to cry and the wife stood up and hugged Sharon, thanking Sharon for following her wishes and especially for letting them know that he heard the words before he died. As a wife loses her husband, and a teenage daughter and six year old son lose their father, they will forever be grateful that Sharon followed through on their wishes. It may sound like a simple one, but the compassion displayed for this family by Sharon will impact their lives forever.