Cindy was my husband's daytime nurse Friday -Saturday and we were so grateful to have her help. From the first time we met her, she took an interest in our story and shared a bit about herself. Although this wasn't a lengthy conversation, it was what we needed to feel more comfortable with the situation. I know that she had many patients she was taking care of that weekend, but she seemed to always be available whenever we needed. All of the nurses that took care of my husband were very responsive, but a number of times Cindy was even proactive taking charge before he had to ask. A specific example…my husband was originally moved into one of the smaller rooms on 2000 which quickly became overcrowded, particularly when I moved the chair closer to my husband's bed. It was difficult for staff to reach all of the equipment connected to my husband without having to climb over me. Even so, I was never made to feel in the way. Cindy saw the grossly uncomfortable chair I was using and offered to get a better one for me. Unfortunately, no recliners were available so she brought me the next best thing and told me that she would be on the lookout for a recliner. The next morning, Cindy came and told us that the patient across the hall was going to be discharged and we could move to the bigger room if we wanted. That afternoon, our wonderful CNAs and Cindy helped us to move across the hall, and I smiled when I saw a recliner in the room.
The first time we met Cindy, she had a student nurse with her. As I watched the interaction between them, I saw Cindy was a gentle mentor directing and guiding the student. She gave the student several tasks, but Cindy was in the room to oversee that the student was doing it correctly. This made us feel more comfortable with the teaching environment.
A final example…Cindy was also the first person to notify us that the doctor had removed my husband's appendix while he was doing the other surgery. Neither the surgeon nor any of the nurses we'd had to this point had told us. We told Cindy that we were sure the doctor would have told us if that were the case, so she said she would clarify with the doctor when he came by for rounding. Sure enough, Cindy had caught something the doctor had forgotten to tell us.
As a fellow Sanford employee, it made me proud to know that we have such great nurses working in our organization. When family and friends ask my husband about his surgery, he always comments about the good experience with the doctors and staff here, and he specifically comments about his great nurse Cindy Schumacher. Thank you for making our experience less stressful.