Valerie Castle constantly represents the compassionate care the Sisters of Bon Secours had originally envisioned. It was on a certain special situation her compassion was fully displayed.

On one particular day, we were walking over to pre-post unit to pick up our patient for their cardiac catheterization just like we had done a hundred times before. Suddenly, as the doors to the unit open, we are greeted with sobs, sniffling, and tears of anxiety coming from our patient and their family. We ask one of the unit nurses what was going on, and they told us that the patient was very anxious about the procedure. Further, the patient's brother had died of sudden cardiac arrest while getting a cardiac catheterization just two years prior.

Upon hearing this, Valerie slowly knocks on the bedside table, waited for the patient to allow us to come through the curtain, and then, quietly opens the curtain. Upon entering the patient bay, we find the patient's wife holding her husband as if it was for the last time. Their two children standing over them, wiping away their tears with embarrassment, were looking over their father as if he had one foot already in the grave. Valerie quietly introduced her and me, and acknowledged how she could completely understand the fear and anxiety that they were feeling. She further explained tears were healthy for the heart; regardless of joyous or sad tears, they seem to always cleanse the soul.

As she began to speak, they raised their hands and gracefully cleared their tears from their faces. At this moment, she had their complete attention and from her acknowledgement of their sadness, brought instant peace into the room. In laymen's terms, she slowly explained the procedure to the patient and family. She explained how she would give medication to make the patient comfortable.

Finally, she promised she would talk the patient through the procedure, step-by-step, explain what we were doing and what to expect. She said, "I cannot promise you good news at the end of the case, but I can guarantee you I will make you as comfortable as I can and do anything in my power to make this a pleasant experience."

The patient thanked her for her compassion, and the rest of the family, who were unable to gather their words since they were still tearful, simply nodded their heads in acceptance. As we rolled him to the cardiac cath lab, the family, although still with small tears streaming, smiled as they knew their loved one was in the best hands. Just as Valerie had promised, she made the patient comfortable and explained every step to the patient and the rationale for doing all the nuances we do in the lab. The patient had a healthy heart with a single blockage seen. The doctor stented the diseased vessel with relative ease and no further intervention would be necessary. Afterwards, we pushed the patient back to the recovery room as the patient began to fall asleep for the first time. Now that the procedure was over, one could feel the tension release from the patient and he quietly drifted to sleep as the dreaded test had passed.

As we do with all of our patients, the doctor went out to talk with the family immediately after the procedure and told them everything went well and the good news. Just as most families do, they graciously said thank you, but then they made an odd request. They asked, "May we see the pretty nurse who came to pick him up for the procedure." Without hesitation, knowing exactly who they were looking for, the doctor left to get Valerie. As Valerie walked through the doors out to the waiting area, the family rose from their seats, smiled, and began walking towards Valerie. The patient's wife embraced Valerie, held her close, and would not let her go. After a minute had passed, the wife relinquished her embrace, but continued to hold her with a hand on each arm. She went on to tell her that they were thinking of canceling the entire procedure until she walked into the room. Her acknowledgement and reassurance made them all feel at ease knowing they were leaving him in extremely capable hands.

Working in a procedural area, it is sometimes difficult for a nurse to truly establish a relationship with a patient much less their family. Regardless, Valerie always tries to connect with her patient, but in this instance, her compassionate care and understanding led to the completion of a procedure that without, the patient may have had a heart attack and possibly even died.

I like to think that when the Sisters of Bon Secours first began to care for the community, they provided the same compassionate care as Valerie Castle.