My mother had hernia surgery that went wrong. We ended up in the ER, and she was admitted to the hospital. The next morning, Lois from Rapid Response showed up in the room. We had no idea about this special team. She explained why she was there so that we had a better understanding. We then met with the doctor, who explained the severity of the situation and that we needed to make a life or death decision for my mother. If she didn't have surgery, she would die. If she had surgery, she may not pull through.
Lois was there with us to help us with the process. She helped to reassure us of our decision. We needed to make family phone calls, and there was no family room available. So, Lois cleared a nurse's lounge so we could have privacy to make the necessary calls. Lois stayed with my mom and us the entire time that we waited for my mom to be taken to surgery.
When it came time to go, Lois accompanied us to the pre-surgical area. Before leaving, she assured us that mom was in good hands and that she would be praying for her. Lois was also sure that we had her phone number if we needed anything.
We did reach out to Lois after surgery to update her on the situation. On Sunday, my partner ran into Lois in the Atrium, and she asked about my mom. As I was visiting with my mom in the Trauma Surgical ICU, Lois came to see us and check on my mom. She sat and chatted with me for about 15 minutes. She was very reassuring that things currently looked good.
They say that nurses are angels. If this is true, then Lois Hershey is an Arch Angel. We didn't call on her; she just showed up when we needed her most and continued to bring comfort to us throughout this process.