March 2010
Denise
Stromoski
,
RN
ICU
UPMC Shadyside
Pittsburgh
,
PA
United States
It is hard to list one incident of compassionate nursing care, in our experience at Shadyside Hospital, but I appreciate the opportunity to provide our experience concerning Denise Stromoski. This may be a bit wordy, but it comes from the heart. Thank you for the forum to tell our story.
As it happened, my father, P. D., was in the ICU unexpectedly for over a week. My mother was always around attending to his needs and to ensure he was receiving outstanding care. My family took turns on having someone there at all times, since my mother, spent the last 10 years providing my father with excellent care. My father had a plethora of health issues and limitations. To mark two: he was on dialysis and taking over 20 medications on some days. Though his mental state was fairly good, being in the hospital could sometimes prove to be confusing for him and therefore we didn’t want him to be alone. Denise Stromoski appeared for duty one of the first nights during his stay. She was bubbly, attentive, and compassionate. The first thing she would do every night she cared for my dad was to come in and see how his day was, how he felt, etc. She would thoroughly assess the situation and my father. And I do mean thoroughly. And she did this with the utmost of kindness, gentleness and concern. It was evident that my dad really liked Denise. She just had that way about her and he recognized it and so did all of us. He had broken his hip the week previous and due to many factors could not have his surgery right away. He was in a lot of pain and needed to be moved frequently with assistance. She would come in every hour to move him and when she did it, you didn’t even know she did it. She was so proficient at moving him without hurting him or having him wince in pain. My sister, Mary Ellen, noticed this right away and commented on what an angel Denise was. And that is what we called her every time we had to leave my dad for the evening: Our dads’ guardian angel. On Monday, four days after my fathers fall, my father finally had surgery that day and as the week progressed, he was not as responsive as we would have hoped. We hated leaving my dad at night because his care was so important to all of us. However, we never hesitated to leave when Denise was on duty. She made it so easy for us to call in at any time and talk with her and ask questions. She never once made us feel as if we were burdening her. Her kindness toward my dad was exemplary. My mom and I had spent then entire day Friday with my dad. He seemed to be quite distressed and with a feeding tube in not ale to communicate. It was as if he was still under anesthesia and we could not get him to even open his eyes. We were all worried and completely spent. My sister came into the hospital after 6PM and stayed for a while. We wanted my mom to leave but she wouldn’t so my sister and I left my mother as well as Denise who was trying all sorts of maneuvers to help my dad. As it came to be, Denise called my cell phone after 10:00 PM to come back to the hospital. My father had passed away shortly after my sister and I left. My mother and Denise were with him. I cannot even express to you how grateful we all were to have Denise with both of my parents at this most sensitive of times. My sister and I believe my dad waited for us to leave to pass¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬, my mother and he were each others lives and I fully believe he wanted her there and no one else. I also believe he knew how sad and hurt we would be to see him. He and my mom had a once in a lifetime bond and having my mom there meant more to my mom than anything. But, having Denise there with my mom meant more to all of us than I could ever express. When we got back to the hospital, all of the siblings, Denise was there comforting my mother. Denise’s stoic and calm manner was so comforting at a time when emotions are raw and vulnerable. She was gentle and steadfast, explaining what we needed to do all the while attending to us even though I am sure she was struck too. I realize professionals are trained in these things, but even the most hardened person must be struck with some sense of sadness to lose a patient. I feel as if Denise was sharing in our disbelief and grief, all the while with the utmost of grace and care. I think about her often when I think back on my dad’s last days….. she was truly an angel sent to us during this most saddest of times.
As it happened, my father, P. D., was in the ICU unexpectedly for over a week. My mother was always around attending to his needs and to ensure he was receiving outstanding care. My family took turns on having someone there at all times, since my mother, spent the last 10 years providing my father with excellent care. My father had a plethora of health issues and limitations. To mark two: he was on dialysis and taking over 20 medications on some days. Though his mental state was fairly good, being in the hospital could sometimes prove to be confusing for him and therefore we didn’t want him to be alone. Denise Stromoski appeared for duty one of the first nights during his stay. She was bubbly, attentive, and compassionate. The first thing she would do every night she cared for my dad was to come in and see how his day was, how he felt, etc. She would thoroughly assess the situation and my father. And I do mean thoroughly. And she did this with the utmost of kindness, gentleness and concern. It was evident that my dad really liked Denise. She just had that way about her and he recognized it and so did all of us. He had broken his hip the week previous and due to many factors could not have his surgery right away. He was in a lot of pain and needed to be moved frequently with assistance. She would come in every hour to move him and when she did it, you didn’t even know she did it. She was so proficient at moving him without hurting him or having him wince in pain. My sister, Mary Ellen, noticed this right away and commented on what an angel Denise was. And that is what we called her every time we had to leave my dad for the evening: Our dads’ guardian angel. On Monday, four days after my fathers fall, my father finally had surgery that day and as the week progressed, he was not as responsive as we would have hoped. We hated leaving my dad at night because his care was so important to all of us. However, we never hesitated to leave when Denise was on duty. She made it so easy for us to call in at any time and talk with her and ask questions. She never once made us feel as if we were burdening her. Her kindness toward my dad was exemplary. My mom and I had spent then entire day Friday with my dad. He seemed to be quite distressed and with a feeding tube in not ale to communicate. It was as if he was still under anesthesia and we could not get him to even open his eyes. We were all worried and completely spent. My sister came into the hospital after 6PM and stayed for a while. We wanted my mom to leave but she wouldn’t so my sister and I left my mother as well as Denise who was trying all sorts of maneuvers to help my dad. As it came to be, Denise called my cell phone after 10:00 PM to come back to the hospital. My father had passed away shortly after my sister and I left. My mother and Denise were with him. I cannot even express to you how grateful we all were to have Denise with both of my parents at this most sensitive of times. My sister and I believe my dad waited for us to leave to pass¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬, my mother and he were each others lives and I fully believe he wanted her there and no one else. I also believe he knew how sad and hurt we would be to see him. He and my mom had a once in a lifetime bond and having my mom there meant more to my mom than anything. But, having Denise there with my mom meant more to all of us than I could ever express. When we got back to the hospital, all of the siblings, Denise was there comforting my mother. Denise’s stoic and calm manner was so comforting at a time when emotions are raw and vulnerable. She was gentle and steadfast, explaining what we needed to do all the while attending to us even though I am sure she was struck too. I realize professionals are trained in these things, but even the most hardened person must be struck with some sense of sadness to lose a patient. I feel as if Denise was sharing in our disbelief and grief, all the while with the utmost of grace and care. I think about her often when I think back on my dad’s last days….. she was truly an angel sent to us during this most saddest of times.