Shelby Terihay
May 2024
Shelby
Terihay
,
BSN, RN
Neuroscience ICU
Tampa General Hospital
Tampa
,
FL
United States
Thank you, Shelby and Tampa General Hospital, for making a tragic event a little bit easier on our family.
I am a family member of a patient who passed away. Shelby was with us the day prior. This was a distressing day for my family. He was airlifted to the hospital the night before with a traumatic brain injury. That night, he had emergency surgery to take part of his skull off to relieve the pressure. His injuries were extreme, and we soon realized that there was no hope.
Shelby came into a grim situation, which I am sure nurses often do. She introduced herself and reassured us that she would take care of him. Even though he was not responding, she looked at his IV and did not like the way it looked. She took the tape off and rewrapped it to where it looked more comfortable. I knew that he could not feel that, but my aunt did not. She put us all at ease. Shelby took time to answer my aunt’s questions with compassion. My aunt was in shock and asked questions that had been clearly answered several times before. Each time, Shelby acted as if this was the first time my aunt had asked the question.
Shelby knew what taking him off life support entailed and gingerly explained the process to us. She helped to encourage the family to choose a time so all family could be present and that the teams at the hospital could prepare what they needed to do before we all arrived. If she had not suggested this, the process may have not gone as smoothly. She did not limit the amount of people who could be in the room at one time.
She helped coordinate the chaplain visit and even laughed with us when some of our sleep-deprived jokes may not have been appropriate. She shared that some days, as a nurse, she was more emotional than others and that today was one of those. She teared up with us when we were sad and tried to explain how things would play out to my aunt. She brought snacks and water in at the right times and checked on us often as family came to say goodbye.
We were sad when her shift was over, but she hugged my aunt before she left. In my experience, a lot of nurses leave their shifts without saying goodbye. It meant something to us that she took the time to wish us well because she knew she would not be seeing us again. Shelby made a difference in my family’s time at Tampa General Hospital. I was born at TGH 56 years ago and am happy to say it still has its stellar reputation.
Thank you, Shelby and Tampa General Hospital, for making a tragic event a little bit easier on our family.
Shelby came into a grim situation, which I am sure nurses often do. She introduced herself and reassured us that she would take care of him. Even though he was not responding, she looked at his IV and did not like the way it looked. She took the tape off and rewrapped it to where it looked more comfortable. I knew that he could not feel that, but my aunt did not. She put us all at ease. Shelby took time to answer my aunt’s questions with compassion. My aunt was in shock and asked questions that had been clearly answered several times before. Each time, Shelby acted as if this was the first time my aunt had asked the question.
Shelby knew what taking him off life support entailed and gingerly explained the process to us. She helped to encourage the family to choose a time so all family could be present and that the teams at the hospital could prepare what they needed to do before we all arrived. If she had not suggested this, the process may have not gone as smoothly. She did not limit the amount of people who could be in the room at one time.
She helped coordinate the chaplain visit and even laughed with us when some of our sleep-deprived jokes may not have been appropriate. She shared that some days, as a nurse, she was more emotional than others and that today was one of those. She teared up with us when we were sad and tried to explain how things would play out to my aunt. She brought snacks and water in at the right times and checked on us often as family came to say goodbye.
We were sad when her shift was over, but she hugged my aunt before she left. In my experience, a lot of nurses leave their shifts without saying goodbye. It meant something to us that she took the time to wish us well because she knew she would not be seeing us again. Shelby made a difference in my family’s time at Tampa General Hospital. I was born at TGH 56 years ago and am happy to say it still has its stellar reputation.
Thank you, Shelby and Tampa General Hospital, for making a tragic event a little bit easier on our family.