I was working in SOI PACU with a patient that was having the most severe reaction to anesthesia I've ever seen. The patient was yelling and screaming that we were all trying to kill her. This patient was 18 years old, and this behavior had been ongoing for a couple of hours. I had brought her parents back to help calm her, that was no use. She yelled at them saying they were trying to hurt her. Every person that walked by, she would want to know who they were, and why they were here to hurt her.

This ended when Trisha Dunn was walking by on her way home at the end of her shift. The patient yelled out, "I know you!" Trisha immediately came over and started calming the patient. I had done all I could, the patient’s parents were at a loss as to what to do. I had given her Ativan and versed with no long-lasting effects. Trisha was the only calming factor that worked. Trisha sat at her bedside and held her hand and talked with the patient about the patient's dogs and her work with special needs children. Trisha saved mine and the patient's family’s sanity that day.

Thank you, Trisha, for all you did. Thank you for staying after work and helping. It wasn't your department, wasn't your job. You are an amazing nurse, serving those in need without concern for your own time and needs.