My dad refers to his nurses as "family" and "lucky to have met such lovely ladies". The compassion for patients is noticeable in Laura Pumphrey. She has really taken a liking to my dad and he appreciates and loves her also. She enjoys my dad's humor and she carries on with him in a way that our own family does. I feel that God has truly blessed my dad to have her. You see, her encouragement and positive attitude is just what the doctor ordered!
Since being admitted to the hospital he has only been able to eat puréed food. He is not so much a fan of the puréed soup. They got to talking about soup and food and she said "Mr. W, when I cook I tend to overdo it a bit. I could cook for your whole family. I tell you what; when you leave I will send some of my crab soup with you." The very next day she brought a cooler with not only the homemade crab soup, but also a Ziploc bag of chicken noodle soup. This gesture meant so much to my dad and I can't wait for him to enjoy it!
Not only did Laura provide the best care for my dad, but she also consoled me personally when I had to make the decision to take my mom back to Pennsylvania to take care of things at home or to stay in Virginia with Dad at the hospital. She assured me that "the man upstairs" is providing Dad with the best care and they are just doing God's work as nurses. She made me feel comfortable knowing that she had faith in Dad's daily progress through the hands of God. I appreciated that heart-to-heart conversation more than she will ever know. She had given me words of wisdom and truth that I needed to hear to make an appropriate choice for a tough decision. I am confident that God placed her into our lives for many reasons!