I had the misfortunate of needing emergency treatment in the ED at ORMC after having a reaction to a medication infusion. Unfortunately, after being initially stabilized in the ED I became hemodynamically unstable, requiring aggressive fluid resuscitation as I met the criteria for a severe sepsis alert. Christina was my nurse during my stay in the emergency room, and the best way I can describe her care for me was that she was my advocate during this admission. The initial plan was for me to be admitted to a PCU level floor but Christina put a hold on this admission because she did not feel I was stable enough for that level of care. After requesting the attending physician to come to assess my condition again in the Emergency Department my level of care was elevated to Intermediate Critical Care (ICC), but once again prior to leaving the emergency department, Christina insisted on further evaluation which resulted in the placement of an arterial line and finally admission to a Medical ICU bed. By this point in my admission, I felt extremely weak, and to be honest, I was no longer able to advocate for myself, but I didn't need to with Christina caring for me. I distinctly remember Christina standing outside my room collaborating with the physicians stating, "I have already given him 5 liters of saline, that's enough, we need to try something different". My blood pressure slowly stabilized in the ICU, although later in my hospital stay, I developed respiratory distress. Had Christina not advocated as strongly as she did, this respiratory distress would have almost certainly been worse if I had been given additional IV fluids.
While I was under the care of Christina for only a few hours, I could see the passion she exhibited for nursing and that displayed in the empathy I felt from her regarding my condition. Christina absolutely gained my trust, as well as the trust of my family. I remember when I was in the infusion center and it was becoming rapidly apparent that I would need treatment in the emergency room, the one thought that ran through my head was "thank god ORMC is the closest hospital". I knew I was going to be in good hands once I arrived in the ED. Looking back on the admission, I am convinced that ORMC saved my life, or at the very least prevented a very poor outcome. But, when I say ORMC, what I really mean is the care that was provided to me by all providers and exemplified by Christina. You have my sincere thank you for my recovery.