I work in the lab at York Hospital, and I have gotten to know the nurses for the past year in a working relationship, but all that changed recently. I had just gotten off, and I got a phone call from my daughter-in-law, to get to the hospital as soon as possible. They were rushing my 25-year-old son, J, to the hospital in an ambulance. As a mother, so much goes through your mind. Did he fall? Was it a car accident? Never in a million years did I think when I got there to the hospital it would be a stroke. My 25-year-old healthy son had a stroke; my knees buckled, and my heart was breaking. It just kept getting worse. He had to have emergency surgery to have stents put in his neck and he had a brain bleed. ?
We did not know if he was going to make it, or if he did, would he be able to talk? Walk? Play with his 3 little boys? J made it through the surgery, and he was transferred to the units, ICU. RN Dana was one of his nurses, and she had seen our family struggling. We were all heart-broken. She always answered our many questions, dealt with all our personalities, had a smile, but most importantly, she took care of J. Always putting his care first and with that making sure we were okay.?
J is an Afghanistan Army Disabled Veteran. As a mom, when he was deployed, I worried from the time my eyes opened and until my eyes closed every day. First thing I did was pray, and the last thing I did every day was pray. You learn to never show your emotions to be strong for him. One day in the units, J was struggling with being on a ventilator and just the reality of everything that had just happened. You see your child hurting, his brothers, his wife, and his dad; it is overwhelming. Dana was in the room with all of us and I started to break down. I walked out, and she followed and asked me if I was okay. She could see it on my face. I was crying and said, "this is heartbreaking that I can't help." She said, "I can only imagine; I know this is hard for your family." ?
She was comforting and helping me. I wasn't used to that. In my family, I am the strong one who comforts everyone. In that moment in time, she helped me. She was the strong one. She gave me the support and encouragement I needed. Dana will never know how something that took a minute could have touched me so deeply. J and our family were taken care of by Dana with the best care, with a caring and kind heart, and I will be grateful for her kindness for the rest of my life. ?
My faith has helped me through so much in my life, and this verse is something that came to my mind and heart: ?
Psalm 91:11- "For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all his ways". ?
He did just that with RN Dana. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.?