Ashley F. Lakes
April 2017
Ashley
Lakes
,
ADN, RN
Vascular ICU
Carilion Clinic Roanoke Campus
Roanoke
,
VA
United States
My mother-in-law was admitted to the hospital. Due to her medical issues, she was assigned to the Vascular ICU floor. That is where Ashley entered our lives. During the time she was my Mom's nurse, she demonstrated so much love and compassion for her. She did everything she could to make sure she was as comfortable as possible, as well as, keep us, her family, abreast of all that was going on. She was Mom's dedicated nurse during her shifts, and her devotion to her chosen career shone through. She took the time to get to know us. She allowed my father-in-law to ask as many questions as he needed to feel comfortable with the answers he was being given. She did that for all of us. She also allowed us to share family stories with her, getting to know the amazing woman she was caring for. She looked out for all of us in addition to the care she was giving Mom.
When she saw Dad having a hard time she called me to make sure I knew so we could be by his side. And, when Mom took a turn for the worse, she called again. I could tell she was crying. She told me we needed to come as soon as we could, and that she would watch over Dad until we got there. That afternoon the decision was made to let Mom go. Ashley explained each step of unhooking the machines so we knew exactly what was going on. She made sure Mom was as comfortable as possible. She even made sure we all had some drinks and snacks to help keep us going. She allowed us time alone with mom, yet was never far if we needed her. Her shift technically ended that night at 9, but she stayed around a little later just to make sure we all had whatever we needed. She laughed with us when we shared our stories and cried with us while our hearts broke. Mom passed roughly 7 hours from the time all machines were removed. The roughest 7 hrs of all our lives. But during those 7 hours especially, we had a Guardian Angel named Ashley Lakes watching over all of us. All the nurses were wonderful and caring, but Ashley truly went above and beyond. She made an unbearable situation a little easier to bear. She will forever be in our hearts, and will always be considered a member of our family.
When she saw Dad having a hard time she called me to make sure I knew so we could be by his side. And, when Mom took a turn for the worse, she called again. I could tell she was crying. She told me we needed to come as soon as we could, and that she would watch over Dad until we got there. That afternoon the decision was made to let Mom go. Ashley explained each step of unhooking the machines so we knew exactly what was going on. She made sure Mom was as comfortable as possible. She even made sure we all had some drinks and snacks to help keep us going. She allowed us time alone with mom, yet was never far if we needed her. Her shift technically ended that night at 9, but she stayed around a little later just to make sure we all had whatever we needed. She laughed with us when we shared our stories and cried with us while our hearts broke. Mom passed roughly 7 hours from the time all machines were removed. The roughest 7 hrs of all our lives. But during those 7 hours especially, we had a Guardian Angel named Ashley Lakes watching over all of us. All the nurses were wonderful and caring, but Ashley truly went above and beyond. She made an unbearable situation a little easier to bear. She will forever be in our hearts, and will always be considered a member of our family.