Tomas Zapata
March 2023
Tomas
Zapata
,
RN
Emergency Department
AdventHealth Kissimmee
Orlando
,
FL
United States

 

 

 

Tomas took it upon his busy day to personally spoon-feed my grandma some apple sauce and milk which gave her some strength.
My grandmother came into the ER feeling terrible and hopeless. My grandmother is a strong woman and highly independent even at her advanced age. She was experiencing dizziness and vomiting and had not eaten for several days since she could not keep food down. Tomas was not the first nurse to take care of my grandmother but he was the one she spoke about the most. Being that the emergency had a 6-hour wait and no rooms available for her to be transferred to a hospital room, Tomas took great care of my grandma. She hadn’t been able to eat and therefore she was extremely weak to self-feed.

As a nurse myself, I know how stressful it is to provide bedside care and how hard it is when you don’t have a tech to assist. Tomas took it upon his busy day to personally spoon-feed my grandma some apple sauce and milk which gave her some strength. He encouraged her to eat every last bit of applesauce and the mission was accomplished. My grandma being a woman of faith felt his encouraging words of hope letting her know she will be better soon. He gave her his blessing before she was transferred to a room. During the short time that Tomas took care of her, he was extremely patient and comforting. Tomas truly defined what Advent Health's mission states and he truly did extend the healing ministry of Christ.