An amazing nurse is hard to find, difficult to part with, and impossible to forget. Avi was without a doubt the most compassionate and kind-hearted nurse I have ever met. I ended up with a very complicated, high risk, end of pregnancy, and delivery. At one point I was facing preeclampsia, pulmonary edema, failed kidney function with minimal to no output, low sating oxygen levels, and my existing type one diabetes. I'm sure it felt like I should've been an ICU patient instead of a patient in labor and delivery.
My husband B and I met Avi first on Friday dayshift during a moment that was very overwhelming, as our preterm induction was moving along very quickly. Without even knowing her name, she was there to hold my hand and was talking to me with words of understanding and encouragement. We quickly got to know Avi, sharing stories of what we were passionate about, joking about the healthcare field on a date like Friday the 13th with a full moon, as I work in the healthcare field as well.
On Saturday morning I was taken for an urgent C-section right at the time of shift change. To say I was exhausted and in and out of consciousness would've been an understatement. My spirits were instantly lifted and a feeling of extreme comfort and trust rushed over me when I saw Avi come into the operating room and tell me she was my nurse again for the day. Avi spent her entire shift glued to my bedside, monitoring the status of my health. I swear she didn't leave for more than a minute and likely barely took more than a five-minute break for her entire shift. She was there to support B, keeping him updated on the status of my health, as well as directed him that it's OK to leave me to go visit our baby in the NICU. She convinced B that he needed to take a shower and get something to eat, even though he was resisting. Avi without asking if I needed one, gave me a bath in bed, including washing my hair. I didn't know how much this would help me feel a little more human. She spent 15 minutes on the phone with my mom, who was worried and needed details. She celebrated the victories of my kidney function restoring and my legs decreasing their swelling- I lost 10 L in one day!
Despite every effort on Saturday, I was not able to get into a wheelchair to go see my newborn. Avi was back as my nurse on Sunday and her first words to me when she was taking care of me was "We are going to my baby no matter what because that is what you need." We did just that, twice that day. Avi made a lasting impression in our lives that weekend. We have visited her since and she has visited us in the NICU as well.
As a nurse, Avi had the option to treat us as a patient, with care, but instead, she chose to treat us as her family, with love. For that, we will never forget how she made us feel in one of the scariest times of our lives. The world needs more Avi's.