My dad was a patient at UPMC East for 3 days. Huong Vo was his nurse and he just thought the world of her. He had been in the hospital in October 2019 for a couple of days. (He had remembered her and she remembered him...so obviously she left quite an impression.) She took such great care of my dad; always so kind, caring, and compassionate and not to mention dad thought she was "cute as a button". My dad was always a man of few words and never said much about anyone, so the fact that he spoke so highly of Huong, in my opinion, speaks volumes as to what kind of nurse she is. Sadly, my dad was rushed to ICU early in the morning. That morning, Huong saw me outside the ICU and with tears in her eyes, she hugged me and was so sorry for my loss; and she said that if I ever needed anything to let her know. As if that wasn't enough, 71 days after losing my dad, my mom passed away. The months after losing my dad and mom have been difficult; but during the whole time, Huong continues to "check on me" when I see her. She is always friendly, kind, and genuinely concerned. I just can't thank her enough for what she did for my dad and for the compassion she continues to show me. She is the epitome of what a nurse should be.
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Huong is someone that patients' family members will stop me in the halls to say how wonderful she is. As a case manager, I call families and speak with patients. Consistently even after the patient is discharged, they will tell me how kind and compassionate she is. The most recent story (and there are many - all similar): I received a call from a patient's spouse for discharge planning. She told me about Huong and how she reacted when she found out the patient was at East. Huong immediately went to the patient's room to see him. Spouse said he brightened up and smiled - she just made his day. This is what I hear from others as well. It is so frequent and common that I have to recognize her. Nursing is not a job to her, it is a calling - she just has that certain something in the way she interacts with everyone. Not just patients and families, but everyone.