During a recent night shift, one of our patients who had profound dementia kept trying to get out of bed. The team, hyperaware of patient safety, were wracking their brains on what to do to occupy her time and keep her safely in bed. This particular night, they were even more anxious than in past nights. The primary nurse reached out to Wendy (the team lead) for some support and ideas, stating that the patient had an activity board that kept her occupied during the day, but somehow, it had gotten soiled and had to be discarded. Wendy remembered a different patient situation where a member of the team had created a makeshift baby doll out of towels and blankets, and the patient felt like they were actually caring for a baby during the night and kept her safe all shift. Wendy sent the primary nurse to the women's services department and asked to borrow a small cap, baby blanket, and diaper.

That team took it further and threw in a pacifier and baby bottle. Wendy used those items, along with a couple towels to create the "baby." Wendy gave the baby to the primary nurse and he proceeded in to the patients room to present the baby to the patient. Upon entering the room, the primary nurse made eye contact with the patient, calling her by name, and asked if they'd like to care for the baby for the night. They looked at the primary nurse and the baby wide-eyed and quickly accepted the responsibility. In that instance, the patient felt the care and compassion that was surrounding her. The team described the patient's face as transforming from a grimace to hopeful and alive. They smiled the sweetest smile as they reached for the baby. The primary RN placed the baby in to their arms and asked if they would like the bottle to feed the baby. The patient immediately answered yes and took the bottle. Wendy and the primary RN repositioned the patient and tucked in both the patient and baby for the night. As the team was sharing the story with me, they described difficulty finding the proper words to truly express what was felt by the patient and those caring for her. Also to mention the small kindness the women's team showed us as our patient populations couldn't be more different, but showing kindness and compassion transcends those differences.

This is just one recent example of the creativity, kindness, and compassion that makes up Wendy. She always leads with her heart and keeps the patient at the center of everything she does. Wendy is always thinking of others and almost always comes to work with something for the team. From food and snacks, to gifts for occasions, to items she sees that she thinks someone might like. Wendy is the true embodiment of love, light, and hope.