Tom Greer presented himself as a professional, caring, humble, and experienced nurse to a daughter, G, whose mother was dying. I am proud to say I witnessed nursing at the highest level we nurses are able to administer. The patient was an 88-year-old lady; she had been on the ventilator for days with continuing decline. The decision for the family was "what to do and what are the patient's wishes? G's two brothers and husband were ready to withdraw life support but G just could not.
Tom hugged the daughter in his big, strong arms and brought her over to the bed next to her mother and explained the options. While G held her mother's hand, Tom told her that she had time and did not have to rush. He explained the medication that could be given to keep her mother calm, how the death process went, and how she could stay at the bedside. The daughter cried on Tom's shoulders but he held her tight. I think you have to understand at this point how busy the Medical IntensiveCare Unit (MICU) was. We were on the verge of diversion, there were 25 other critical patients, doctors making rounds, and staffing issues. Tom was focused on G's time and space to help her accept the end of her mother's life. I can also say that G had lost a 20-year-old son just 2 years ago, so a loss was very hard for her. Tom did not know this, but he felt her pain and had empathy for her.
The patient died a few hours later, on her own. The family told me how grateful they were to Tom and how much he was appreciated.