A few months ago Sheri received a young man from the emergency department that was having trouble breathing. Sheri was already caring for a very critical intubated patient. Despite this, Sheri assessed this young man and gave him all of her undivided attention as if he were her only one. Sheri always shows the greatest compassion to her patients by being there with them when they are in distress and helping to calm them with her sweet and gentle voice. On this day, Sheri could not have anticipated the work she would do to try to save this young man's life.
Despite his mostly stable condition when admitted to the unit, this young man arrested and had to be resuscitated several times. Sheri never left his bedside and was determined to bring this young man back to life. This was a very stressful time for everyone, but one thing I do remember is Sheri's stoic face and determination to be successful for him and his family. She stayed by the patient's side and held his hand as we resuscitated him over and over again. We were not successful and eventually, the patient passed away.
As Sheri left the room I remember looking at her face and observing the look of sadness and defeat. I cannot imagine what Sheri was feeling as she has three grown sons of her own. As nurses, we work tirelessly for patients and their families to prevent them from experiencing something that we would never want to experience ourselves. This is how Sheri serves each of her patients every single day.