I was in the midst of writing this nomination in October 2019, when after 21 months of treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukemia and 80 consecutive days at Rush University Medical Center for a second stem cell transplant, my husband P passed away after being transferred down to the Medical ICU. Almost four months have now gone by, but I know P wanted me to complete this nomination and officially express his and our family's gratitude for Lisa's excellence in caring for him. P very much respected and completely trusted Lisa as his nurse - she is an AMAZING nurse and a beautiful individual. To our family, Lisa exemplifies Rush's "Excellence never settles."
P was diagnosed with AML at the end of January 2018 and was hospitalized at Rush a number of times for chemotherapy treatment and fevers/complications associated with his AML, including his first stem cell transplant in May 2018, relapse in February 2019, and second stem cell transplant in August 2019. Through P's many hospital stays, Lisa was P's day nurse a number of times, but she was more than just a nurse:
Lisa was a valuable educational resource for our family, taking the time to show us guides and pamphlets published by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and others and encouraged us to become more informed about P's AML and upcoming treatments. As P's nurse, she genuinely took the time to listen to our concerns/questions and would make a point to find out answers, conferring with other caregivers on P's team.
For P, she was a nurse who always went above and beyond her daily responsibilities, and then, went above and beyond even that! She was an advocate for P with the doctors treating him, contributing her thoughts and concerns during daily rounds and discussions. Besides being extremely competent in her daily duties of administering medication and physical care, etc..., what makes Lisa such an exceptional nurse is that she is able to identify potential problems and quickly troubleshoot so that these problems may be avoided or solved in a more timely basis. I spent most of P's hospital stays with him in his room day/night and saw first-hand Lisa demonstrate this ability over and over again through P's many medical complications, especially after his second stem cell transplant when feeding tubes and kidney dialysis were necessary. Through Lisa's attentive actions and loving care, it was always clear to P and our family that Lisa's patients were her number one priority and focus at work. And Lisa doesn't just think about what's happening for today, but always has the bigger picture in mind, what the days down the road were going to possibly look like and what to expect.
Lisa was a physical therapist for P, patiently talking/guiding him through the little steps of getting out of bed and standing up and urging him to take one more step in the hallway so he could gain better strength and mobility. She knew when to offer that firm encouragement to motivate P to work harder and when it was too much for him. She was always confident and willing to help with the physical labor necessary to reposition P or get him more active when Rush's physical and occupational therapists worked with P. By watching and listening to her talk to P, she was a teacher to the kids and me on how to better work with P ourselves and to be more comfortable, knowing through her examples, we were doing the proper things for him.
Lisa was a psychologist - always thinking of ways to improve P's quality of life when he was in the hospital. After P was bedridden for three weeks, it was Lisa who brought in a cardiac chair to P's room so he could be physically transferred to it (it took a team of nurses to do this), allowing P to sit up and able to be taken out of his room and down to the family lounge at the end of the hallway for a change of scenery and to brighten his day. And when P's hospital stay became drawn out and his spirits quite down, Lisa gave more of herself - she got permission to take P to the 9th floor and out onto the employee terrace so P could feel the fresh air and the sun on his face. She took time that day (most likely her own personal lunchtime now that I reflect back on it) to get P into a wheelchair, bundle him up, and get him outside for some precious minutes. That was day 67 for P in the hospital. For that, our family will be forever grateful to Lisa. Thank you for the morale-boosting experience and a great day for P! Lisa's kindness and self-giving of her time and effort is another example of her excellence!
Along the same lines, Lisa was a thoughtful and kind-hearted caregiver. Often, Lisa took the time to physically bathe P with water and soap when he was bedridden when she could have easily had an aide only use the CHG wipes instead. And, after several weeks of P not being able to shower, Lisa dedicated time one Saturday morning to get P into the shower and sitting down so she could give him a thorough and relaxing, warm shower - a very challenging feat given his lack of mobility. After she got him back into his bed, I remember him thanking her for that and saying, "Well, that was DELIGHTFUL!" In addition, Lisa was always brainstorming different foods that might sound appealing to P after his many days of hospital food and a general lack of appetite from his treatments. From suggesting various food items available to purchase from businesses in or nearby the hospital, Lisa the chef also one day brought P her own home-made chicken noodle soup to see if that would spur his appetite. It did!
Lisa was a team player - there were many, many times when Lisa would appear on the scene in P's hospital room to help out and assist in various procedures on those days when she wasn't P's designated nurse. (We found that to be true of all of the nurses on the floor. P, the kids and I were humbled by the professional, dedicated and selfless teamwork the entire nursing staff on 14East demonstrated on a daily basis.)
And, on the day P died in the Medical ICU after his long and challenging illness, Lisa was a true friend - comforting us after we had to say good-bye to P - my husband of 39 years and dad to our five children and grandfather of a 6-month old baby girl. Lisa was there that day for whatever we needed and respectful of our privacy. The kids and I were truly touched and overwhelmed/speechless when Lisa and other 14East nurses attended P's wake and presented our family with a book and inside, many personal messages of love and sympathy by many of the nursing staff that cared for P. It will be a cherished keepsake for our family.
Lisa Maurer - educational resource, physical therapist, teacher, psychologist, caregiver, chef, team player, and friend - one AWESOME nurse - and a true DAISY Nurse!