Afton was caring for a particularly troubled young person. I watched as Afton applied all of her strategies, some nursing, some massage therapy, in an attempt to ease this troubled young woman. Unfortunately, despite all her efforts, this patient had other plans. We watched as Afton bravely attempted to redirect this agitated patient while security was called. Had Afton not tried, this patient may have not have walked out of the hospital on the day of discharge. Afton awarded this woman and her family a 2nd chance at life and provided her with hope and encouragement.
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My entire nursing staff was excellent, but I would especially like to give a special thank you to Afton for being so kind and considerate during my difficult time.
The first morning after my shoulder surgery, Afton popped in just as breakfast was delivered. Anticipating my trouble with eating one-handed, she quickly and matter-of-factly cut my French toast into bite-sized pieces, asked me just how I like it (butter only), and put the fork very close on the left where I could reach it. That was the first moment I enjoyed myself after my terrible accident the day before; devouring French toast and being able to sit up and feed myself, I felt so happy. Then Afton casually mentioned that, with a little thought, I would be able to do 90% of what I wanted to do with my left hand only, in a short time (3 days?!). This was a fabulous gift of vision, challenge, and inspiration that carried me through the next several weeks with a new attitude. Every little action became a game for me. I was soon opening toothpaste caps, bottles, even mascara- with my new-found lefty skills. Getting dressed, getting around, and getting more comfortable myself seemed more possible as a mix of my own resourcefulness and one-handed dexterity, developed daily. After 5 days I was proudly typing and texting from the edge of my bed at home, with ease of mostly left-hand fingers smoothly working alone on the QWERTY keyboards. It seemed almost normal. I have since made a good way through the past month, despite mostly being immobilized on my right arm to avoid terrible pain and a second surgery to totally replace my shattered shoulder. I have 3-5 months ahead of hard work to build skills and strength for using my new parts. But I feel myself again and have confidence despite unimaginable restrictions. Thank you, Afton.
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When Afton heard my story she saw a doctor in the hallway and she stopped him in his tracks and explained the problem to him. She got him to look into my problem. She acted very, very fast.
Nurse Afton Werner however just pipped all else at the post with her exceptional understanding of my Diabetic condition and the ways she tried to help when I was frustrated with the hospital policy of total management of my diabetic situation regarding my insulin regime. Her encouragement for getting me up and mobile and relaying my progress to the doctors, her friendly manner and discourse always made me feel at ease and very comfortable in her presence. This was a young lady who helped my wife and myself with many day to day issues when she was on duty in my room. Afton was a nurse whose total care was always devoted to her patients and she always thought first and foremost about the wellbeing of those patients. She was a lovely charming girl whose duty and dedication in my mind made her a first-class nurse and I am only too sorry we will most likely never ever see her again. Even at the moment of my discharge from the ward, when she was busy helping another patient, she stayed with them but chose to give me that farewell wave even though she was busy helping someone else.