My father was admitted on an afternoon for a surgery that was to occur the next morning. The surgery was planned to clear bacteria from my father's spine and to replace the cage surrounding it. He was in an excruciating amount of pain, particularly at night, when he is more sensitive. Luke was the nurse assigned to my father on that night shift. I stayed overnight in my father's room, and I cannot explain what a fantastic job Luke did. My father made numerous requests for Luke, such as constantly filling the ice bags for my father's legs, getting warm blankets, readjusting the blankets, asking for pain medication, and needing to go to the bathroom in the portable urinal.
One particular instance stands out to me, as we were awaiting the surgery team in the morning. My father could not have any more pain medication, and we still had another hour to wait for the surgery team to arrive. My father was beside himself, shaking and agitated, and in a lot of pain. Luke came in and spent almost 20-30 minutes talking to him, asking him about the farm he used to run, asking what kind of crops he grew, etc. He took my father's mind off the pain and calmed him down and made it much more bearable to wait for the surgery team to arrive.
Luke dealt with an incredibly difficult situation with a kind, responsive, and compassionate attitude. He provided my father extraordinary care and never once made us feel like we were a burden or asking too much. My family and I cannot thank him enough.