My story starts in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Washington Township. I was 7 months pregnant with twins and having what I thought was a routine ultrasound done. But to my surprise, I was met by Dr. W who gave me some very grave news. There was decrease blood flow to the cord of baby b and he was worried that the baby was not getting the oxygen and nutrients needed to survive. He sat down and said he wanted to talk to me about my delivery. I kind of laughed and said, "okay well, when?" His response was now! Needless to say, I broke down in tears and was completely devastated and heartbroken. Many thoughts raced through my mind. Would everything be okay with my babies? What had I done wrong?
I was escorted down to an extremely busy labor and delivery department. I was met in the room by Lisa McCarry the assistant nurse manager. Lisa was dressed in regular clothes as she was planning on attending our company Christmas party later that evening. I remember my dad saying, "she doesn't look like a nurse she doesn't have any scrubs on". But Lisa just chuckled and worked quickly and efficiently placing me on the fetal monitor, placing my IV in my hand and taking the time to answer mine and my family's questions without any hesitation. What comforted me the most was Lisa sitting on the side of my bed holding my hand and telling me everything was going to be okay. She knew I was scared to death and didn't know what the outcome was going to be. She hugged me and reassured me that the doctors and nurses would do everything they could for my babies. She told me she wasn't going to leave me and was going to stay with me in the OR during my C-section. She went and changed into scrubs. Lisa did stay with me, having her with me was so comforting, knowing I was getting the best possible care from a great nurse. She talked me through the entire C-section and I delivered a beautiful baby boy weighing 4lbs 2ozs and a baby girl weighing 3lbs. I cannot explain the amount of gratitude I have towards her for making me feel like I was the only patient in the entire hospital at that time. Lisa genuinely cared and for that, I am truly grateful. She gave up her personal time to ensure that I was well taken care of but also to ensure the safety of her own unit. She demonstrated exceptional leadership and pure professionalism towards both me and her staff. You can tell Lisa is well respected by her peers as well as the other nurse managers. Lisa continued to check on me the next few post-op days and always asked how the babies were. I cannot thank her enough for everything she did and the way she made me feel.