Stephanie Stansbury
March 2022
Stephanie
Stansbury
,
BSN, RN
Orthopedic
Wellstar Cobb Hospital
Austell
,
GA
United States
Each of my siblings, children, and other relatives who saw dad in the hospital before he passed were touched by Stephanie’s devotion to her calling and love for her patients.
Nursing isn’t just Stephanie Stansbury’s profession: it is her calling. When my healthy (for an 87-year-old) father was hospitalized after fracturing his hip, it thrust me into an unexpected role advocating for his care to an army of doctors and communicating his condition to my large extended family of eight brothers and sisters. The suddenness of dad’s injury, the impersonal, alien sterility of the hospital, and the gravity of the consequences if he didn’t get the treatment he needed made me feel at times like I was unanchored, adrift, and struggling to keep afloat. That’s why I appreciate Stephanie’s tireless effort and unfailing support so deeply.
For the past two years, we have asked healthcare workers to stand on the front lines of a global pandemic, and many have accepted the risk to themselves for the sake of their duty to us, their patients. Yet despite the demands of her profession and while juggling a full load of patients, Stephanie insisted I pick up my phone and call her if I needed anything, whether or not she was on the floor at the time. So I did. When I thought dad was having a stroke in his hospital room, I called Stephanie. When I couldn’t reach a doctor to ask a medical question, I called Stephanie. Even when dad was removed from her care, sent to hospice, and sadly passed away a few days later, Stephanie remained involved by sending messages of love, compassion, and encouragement to my family and me.
The most remarkable thing about those calls is that when Stephanie picked up on the other side, she didn’t treat me like an inconvenience or just another squeaky wheel: she listened. Stephanie has the rare gift of really listening; I never doubted that she gave me her full attention when I was asking a question or expressing concern about my dad’s care. She even patiently listened while dad regaled her with story after story of his military adventures and other life experiences while she was caring for him. What strikes me about Stephanie’s mission of tenderness toward my dad–and by extension, me–is the effect her care had on my entire family.
Each of my siblings, children, and other relatives who saw dad in the hospital before he passed were touched by Stephanie’s devotion to her calling and love for her patients. By going “above and beyond” as though it were not only routine but expected, she helped our family draw closer to each other and eased the grieving process when dad passed away. Stephanie Stansbury is a beautiful soul that will never be forgotten.
For the past two years, we have asked healthcare workers to stand on the front lines of a global pandemic, and many have accepted the risk to themselves for the sake of their duty to us, their patients. Yet despite the demands of her profession and while juggling a full load of patients, Stephanie insisted I pick up my phone and call her if I needed anything, whether or not she was on the floor at the time. So I did. When I thought dad was having a stroke in his hospital room, I called Stephanie. When I couldn’t reach a doctor to ask a medical question, I called Stephanie. Even when dad was removed from her care, sent to hospice, and sadly passed away a few days later, Stephanie remained involved by sending messages of love, compassion, and encouragement to my family and me.
The most remarkable thing about those calls is that when Stephanie picked up on the other side, she didn’t treat me like an inconvenience or just another squeaky wheel: she listened. Stephanie has the rare gift of really listening; I never doubted that she gave me her full attention when I was asking a question or expressing concern about my dad’s care. She even patiently listened while dad regaled her with story after story of his military adventures and other life experiences while she was caring for him. What strikes me about Stephanie’s mission of tenderness toward my dad–and by extension, me–is the effect her care had on my entire family.
Each of my siblings, children, and other relatives who saw dad in the hospital before he passed were touched by Stephanie’s devotion to her calling and love for her patients. By going “above and beyond” as though it were not only routine but expected, she helped our family draw closer to each other and eased the grieving process when dad passed away. Stephanie Stansbury is a beautiful soul that will never be forgotten.