Nurse Tracy Baxter arrived on the scene a couple of days after my husband was admitted to ICU while suffering from septic shock. My husband has been intubated by then. She treated him with dignity from the beginning. She talked to him as if he were awake and alert. She explained everything she was doing to my adult children and me. She answered every question with confidence and skill. To lighten the situation, she joked with my children. During rounds, I watched and listened as she informed the team regarding my husband’s serious condition. She spoke to the doctor and team professionally but broke down the information in “layman’s” terms for my family. While presenting the seriousness of his condition, she also encouraged us to keep the faith. My children talked in the room together about trying to find me a more affordable place to stay as we were 900 miles from home. Knowing the area, Tracy was able to offer suggestions that greatly helped. Aside from her medical work, I watched Tracy pat my husband’s shoulder and rub his arm with loving care. His mustache was twisted under the tubes causing hair to push into his nose. She took scissors and cut his mustache saying, “that may be bothersome to him.” She helped me get his wedding ring off his swollen finger (with help from Stacy). She treated him as if he were her own loved one. That meant a lot to my family. Her knowledge was unmatched. When I had Questions, my children said, “ask Tracy!”
We trusted her beyond that ICU room. Tracy was a major part of my husband’s survival.
Her care, love, and medical expertise were extraordinary! After we left the ICU, she came by his med/surg room to check on him. She continued to offer advice and even a personal “squeeze ball” to help him exercise his hands. Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center is full of caring workers, but Tracy was an Angel sent to our family. We will forever be grateful to her.