Tiffany Jones-Fouts represents all that is good in nursing. She is a seasoned L&D nurse with a gentle and kind heart for her patients. Her skills and compassion combine to make the very best bedside nurse. I've seen her hold hands, wipe brows, talk softly, and deliver babies. Her caring is evident every day she spends in L&D.
An exceptional patient passed throughout unit one weekend. She was actively laboring with her first child when she showed up in our ED. She was not expecting to have a baby and had not had any prenatal care. The patient and her husband welcomed their sweet little newborn shortly after arriving in the unit without the benefit of any pain medications. As Tiffany was arranging the patients clothing to allow her tiny infant to lie skin to skin with her momma, Tiffany noted a dressing on the patient's breast.
The patient cautioned Tiffany that she had an infection. Tiffany knew right away that what she was looking at was more than infection. With a sinking feeling in her heart, she placed the tiny baby on her chest and felt so helpless to do more. Indeed, this special patient was diagnosed with breast cancer and would need to submit to surgery and treatments to prolong the time she has with her newborn. Tiffany felt compelled to do what she could for this small family.
They collected a basket full of thoughtful gifts: a recordable book she could read to her child for years to come, a book of devotionals for those quiet moments of reflection, a gift certificate for a photography session to preserve what will one day be a sweet memory, a gift card to help with some of the expenses while she is receiving treatments, and many other special gifts to fill the basket to overflowing. Throughout our nursing careers, we see suffering and sorrow. It's a part of nursing. This patient/nurse - it was meant to be.