Jackie Kulyas
June 2020
Jackie
Kulyas
,
RN
Med Surg
St. Francis Regional Medical Center
Shakopee
,
MN
United States
Recently, our mother was a patient at St. Francis. While there, she received amazing care from a number of doctors and nurses. However, we would like to specifically recognize one nurse who helped us through this very difficult time - Nurse Jackie.
Our mom transferred to Nurse Jackie's care after having had surgery and our hope was that she would be transitioning to a nursing care facility after St. Francis. However, it soon became clear that instead, Mom was at the end of her life journey. We were blessed with her for close to 90 years and you might think that would mean we would be prepared to say goodbye. Yet when faced with the prospect of her final days, we realized it is something for which you can never be ready. It was during this difficult time that Nurse Jackie came into Mom's life (and ours) and her presence brought each of us so much comfort.
Nurse Jackie gave the same level of care to my dad, myself, and my siblings as we all stood vigil with Mom. She made sure to ask if we were eating, encouraging us to drink water and get rest, and even bringing some nourishment in the final hours when none of us wanted to leave Mom's side. It is no exaggeration to say that she was an angel to each of us - Mom in her pain and us in our sorrow. Because of her care, we were able to be with Mom when she took her final breath and were able to surround her with love.
That hospital wing was very busy over those days but we never once had to seek out Nurse Jackie nor were we made to feel like any other patient had a higher priority. She made it clear to us that Mom was important, the steps in this final journey were important, and she would protect our space to be together.
There are no words that I can share that will fully express my gratitude for this compassion and grace. We understand the very difficult work that the nurses do each day and we are incredibly grateful for their skills and their care, which allowed us the peace that my mom and her family sought. Thank you, Nurse Jackie, for being a part of our story - your care will never be forgotten.
Our mom transferred to Nurse Jackie's care after having had surgery and our hope was that she would be transitioning to a nursing care facility after St. Francis. However, it soon became clear that instead, Mom was at the end of her life journey. We were blessed with her for close to 90 years and you might think that would mean we would be prepared to say goodbye. Yet when faced with the prospect of her final days, we realized it is something for which you can never be ready. It was during this difficult time that Nurse Jackie came into Mom's life (and ours) and her presence brought each of us so much comfort.
Nurse Jackie gave the same level of care to my dad, myself, and my siblings as we all stood vigil with Mom. She made sure to ask if we were eating, encouraging us to drink water and get rest, and even bringing some nourishment in the final hours when none of us wanted to leave Mom's side. It is no exaggeration to say that she was an angel to each of us - Mom in her pain and us in our sorrow. Because of her care, we were able to be with Mom when she took her final breath and were able to surround her with love.
That hospital wing was very busy over those days but we never once had to seek out Nurse Jackie nor were we made to feel like any other patient had a higher priority. She made it clear to us that Mom was important, the steps in this final journey were important, and she would protect our space to be together.
There are no words that I can share that will fully express my gratitude for this compassion and grace. We understand the very difficult work that the nurses do each day and we are incredibly grateful for their skills and their care, which allowed us the peace that my mom and her family sought. Thank you, Nurse Jackie, for being a part of our story - your care will never be forgotten.