Wesley Runnels
October 2023
Wesley
Runnels
,
RN, BSN, CCRN
SICU
Thomas Hospital
Fairhope
,
AL
United States
Wes made my husband, and I both feel like we mattered. In the most professional way possible, it was clear that Wes cared about his responsibility as a nurse and my husband’s recovery.
The 22-year Army veteran and author John Holmes wrote, “There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” In the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Wes Runnels went above and beyond to continuously and compassionately offer a healing hand to lift the spirits of my Army veteran spouse and me after his heart surgery. This nurse’s demonstration of compassion made a special connection with us. We feel compelled to say “thank you” for how much we appreciate Wes’s care and skill during Wayne’s critical ICU stay at Thomas Hospital.
At the time of my 82-year-old husband’s double bypass and valve replacement, he and I had been married for 52 years. The surgery was risky simply because of his age, but necessary to have any chance to maintain his quality of life. I will never forget as they wheeled him away and down the corridor to surgery, his hand went up with one last wave. He knew I would be watching until I could no longer see him. To any unassuming eye, it would have appeared as a simple gesture; however, I knew he was the one reassuring me even before major surgery.
My heart cinched at the thought of the hand I knew so well possibly waving goodbye. That was the hand I held as he said, “I do.” One hand of a pair that had worked, carved, built our home, and carried our children and grandchildren. Beautiful, strong hands that had grown old with me. Now, the man’s life to whom that waving hand belonged would be entirely in the hands of someone else.
As time passed, I prayed for the doctor and nurses that God would guide them. I prayed for my husband’s health and that God would protect and bring him back to me. I prayed for faith and courage that God would give me strength and guidance. How would I make it through this dark time alone?
Initially, I heard good news. The surgery was over. Success! My W was in recovery, and I could see him. Thirty minutes passed. Then an hour went by. Each time the phone rang, I would jump, hoping it was for me. Slowly, evening arrived, and other families saw their loved ones and left for the day. I was the last one in the ICU waiting room, so when the phone rang, I expected to see W finally.
“Hello. May I speak with Mrs. H, please?” asked the foreboding voice. “This is she, “ I hurriedly responded as my mind raced. “Mrs. H, we are calling to inform you that your husband has returned to surgery. We will keep you updated.” Crushed and incapacitated, I hung up the phone without any details. Then, in what seemed like my darkest moment, nearly ten hours after my husband waved when wheeled off to surgery, a nurse named Wes entered our lives. He immediately seemed to identify that I was scared and shut down, my hands tied. He saw how my mind and fears had begun to take root and overwhelm me after the second unexpected surgery. He sat beside me and spoke calmly and clearly, explaining that the doctor had made the best choice for my W. He explained in a way I could understand that blood pooled around his heart, and opening him back up was the safest and surest way to identify the problem.
Most importantly, he told me my husband survived! Proverbs 13:12 reads, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” I had allowed my mind to grow uneasy, and my heart had sunk, but Wes reached down and lifted me back up. My emotions had run so high that my brain could not process facts before Wes took matters into his own hands. He had patience and used a relatable vernacular. At that moment, I felt God blessed Wes with extraordinary nursing skills and compassion for his patient’s family, and He also answered my prayers.
We could not have found ourselves in more capable, compassionate hands than those of Wes Runnels. At 82 years old and having two major surgeries in one day, the recovery in the Cardiac ICU was not fast or easy. W required a particular blood type with antibodies that were difficult to obtain. Wes always calmed and reassured us. When my husband expected to be extubated or have a tube removed elsewhere, and we were disappointed to hear he needed “more time,” Wes always had an explanation that encouraged us. We had a million questions, such as, “What does that beep mean?” “What does that number represent?” Even a question as silly as, “When can he move his arm?”
Moreover, Wes never made us feel like we asked “silly” questions or were “old people” who inconvenienced him. He welcomed every need and every question with the utmost interest and concern. Wes made my husband, and I both feel like we mattered. In the most professional way possible, it was clear that Wes cared about his responsibility as a nurse and my husband’s recovery.
Wes was the night nurse, but he was the light during our arduous and dark stay in the ICU. He bent over backward to bridge the gap between Cardio ICU and the family. Going above and beyond required him to use his nursing skills to calm me, the patient’s family, when my husband hallucinated. He could then seamlessly transition to engage the patient on topics like squirrel hunting after W was extubated and did not want to talk.
Finally, Wes was the only nurse to take the time to care to sign the infamous heart pillow all the patients receive as a parting gift. He kindly wrote, “It’s been a pleasure taking care of you. All the best! Wes.” For these reasons, I nominate Wes Runnels for the DAISY Award. As John Holmes wrote, “There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” I believe God put my husband’s cardiac care in Wes’s capable, compassionate hands. He exercised his skills above and beyond to lift our spirits and care for us in our time of need.
At the time of my 82-year-old husband’s double bypass and valve replacement, he and I had been married for 52 years. The surgery was risky simply because of his age, but necessary to have any chance to maintain his quality of life. I will never forget as they wheeled him away and down the corridor to surgery, his hand went up with one last wave. He knew I would be watching until I could no longer see him. To any unassuming eye, it would have appeared as a simple gesture; however, I knew he was the one reassuring me even before major surgery.
My heart cinched at the thought of the hand I knew so well possibly waving goodbye. That was the hand I held as he said, “I do.” One hand of a pair that had worked, carved, built our home, and carried our children and grandchildren. Beautiful, strong hands that had grown old with me. Now, the man’s life to whom that waving hand belonged would be entirely in the hands of someone else.
As time passed, I prayed for the doctor and nurses that God would guide them. I prayed for my husband’s health and that God would protect and bring him back to me. I prayed for faith and courage that God would give me strength and guidance. How would I make it through this dark time alone?
Initially, I heard good news. The surgery was over. Success! My W was in recovery, and I could see him. Thirty minutes passed. Then an hour went by. Each time the phone rang, I would jump, hoping it was for me. Slowly, evening arrived, and other families saw their loved ones and left for the day. I was the last one in the ICU waiting room, so when the phone rang, I expected to see W finally.
“Hello. May I speak with Mrs. H, please?” asked the foreboding voice. “This is she, “ I hurriedly responded as my mind raced. “Mrs. H, we are calling to inform you that your husband has returned to surgery. We will keep you updated.” Crushed and incapacitated, I hung up the phone without any details. Then, in what seemed like my darkest moment, nearly ten hours after my husband waved when wheeled off to surgery, a nurse named Wes entered our lives. He immediately seemed to identify that I was scared and shut down, my hands tied. He saw how my mind and fears had begun to take root and overwhelm me after the second unexpected surgery. He sat beside me and spoke calmly and clearly, explaining that the doctor had made the best choice for my W. He explained in a way I could understand that blood pooled around his heart, and opening him back up was the safest and surest way to identify the problem.
Most importantly, he told me my husband survived! Proverbs 13:12 reads, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” I had allowed my mind to grow uneasy, and my heart had sunk, but Wes reached down and lifted me back up. My emotions had run so high that my brain could not process facts before Wes took matters into his own hands. He had patience and used a relatable vernacular. At that moment, I felt God blessed Wes with extraordinary nursing skills and compassion for his patient’s family, and He also answered my prayers.
We could not have found ourselves in more capable, compassionate hands than those of Wes Runnels. At 82 years old and having two major surgeries in one day, the recovery in the Cardiac ICU was not fast or easy. W required a particular blood type with antibodies that were difficult to obtain. Wes always calmed and reassured us. When my husband expected to be extubated or have a tube removed elsewhere, and we were disappointed to hear he needed “more time,” Wes always had an explanation that encouraged us. We had a million questions, such as, “What does that beep mean?” “What does that number represent?” Even a question as silly as, “When can he move his arm?”
Moreover, Wes never made us feel like we asked “silly” questions or were “old people” who inconvenienced him. He welcomed every need and every question with the utmost interest and concern. Wes made my husband, and I both feel like we mattered. In the most professional way possible, it was clear that Wes cared about his responsibility as a nurse and my husband’s recovery.
Wes was the night nurse, but he was the light during our arduous and dark stay in the ICU. He bent over backward to bridge the gap between Cardio ICU and the family. Going above and beyond required him to use his nursing skills to calm me, the patient’s family, when my husband hallucinated. He could then seamlessly transition to engage the patient on topics like squirrel hunting after W was extubated and did not want to talk.
Finally, Wes was the only nurse to take the time to care to sign the infamous heart pillow all the patients receive as a parting gift. He kindly wrote, “It’s been a pleasure taking care of you. All the best! Wes.” For these reasons, I nominate Wes Runnels for the DAISY Award. As John Holmes wrote, “There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” I believe God put my husband’s cardiac care in Wes’s capable, compassionate hands. He exercised his skills above and beyond to lift our spirits and care for us in our time of need.