Stephanie Nethers and I have been working together since October of 2018. Stephanie continues to amaze and inspire me every single day with her compassion and love she has for her patients. I don't have just one specific experience, but so many different ones she has shared with me over our time working together.
Recently, she had a patient on her unit who had been in the hospital for over 100 days and had no family or visitors during his entire stay. She knew his birthday was coming up, so she went out to buy him a cake and a gift. This patient always wanted something to hold because he lost his vision when he had a stroke, so Stephanie bought him a plush teddy bear for him to hold. She knew he loved chocolate, so she bought him a chocolate cake and candy as well. The patient was overwhelmed with joy because of the compassion Stephanie showed him.
We always talk about how Stephanie is where she is for a reason, and we know the patients she's able to care for is destiny. Stephanie is a breast cancer survivor, and not only has she continued to work throughout her entire journey, but she has used her experiences to help guide and comfort others through their own walk through life.
A few weeks ago, Stephanie was asked to take a patient for a few hours before the nurse got there, and she got report from the previous nurse who let her know this patient had just been diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinoma a few hours earlier. Stephanie introduced herself to the patient and let him know she would be with him until his nurse arrived. She pulled up a chair and began to speak with him about his recent diagnosis. Stephanie shared her own experiences about how she was diagnosed with cancer a few years back. The two of them shared their feelings about the diagnosis, being scared and anxious, and the pain that was likely to come. She was able to give this patient encouragement from someone who had been through a similar battle that he was about to endure. He told Stephanie that he had been praying to God to help him through the night and that he knew God had sent Stephanie specifically to comfort him. After Stephanie shared this experience with her charge nurse, that manager changed assignments so she could continue to care for him throughout the night.
In the morning Stephanie made him a small booklet of questions for the doctor and added an inspirational note for him to find at a later time. He thanked her for comforting him during what he thought would be the worst night of his life. This experience shows that Stephanie's struggles - her pain and cancer were worth it. It is part of her destiny to be able to advocate for her patients, bring comfort and be a guiding light through the darkness for others.
I have a million stories I can share about Stephanie but these two stuck out to me because it truly shows her character and how she loves what she does. Thank you for all that you do Stephanie, we and countless others are so thankful for you.