... Kathryn Gross has gone above and beyond with the family of one of our current patients. The patient is 18 years old and has had a major stroke. She has been in a coma and has been critical for several days. The patient is a student from Western and her home is near Detroit. Her mother came and has been with her from day one, barely leaving the hospital. The patient stabilized and the mother decided to start staying at the hospitality house since she is not from here. On their way out for the first night away from her daughter, the mom became very anxious and panicked about leaving her daughter for the whole night. The patient's grandmother reported she had never seen her daughter (patient's mom) like that before and wasn't sure how to console her. Kathryn Gross (Katie) stepped right in and comforted the distraught mother. She reassured her that the patient would not be alone and that she would take good care of her and have a "spa night" with the patient. Katie explained that it was important for the mother to take care of herself and get some good rest. The mother was able to leave knowing her daughter was in good hands and going to be well cared for by Katie.

The next evening Katie was back and the mother gave her a big hug and was so appreciative of Katie and her encouragement to get a good night's rest and rejuvenate to continue supporting her daughter on the road to recovery. Later I found out that Katie had also made a list for the mother of fun things to do around Kalamazoo, a way to take a break from the hospital and get some fresh air.

Katie is an amazing example of patient and family centered care here at Bronson. She not only cared for the patient, but also took time to care for the mother. I'm proud to work with this amazing nurse.