Sunday was one of the toughest days of our lives. My sister had suffered a hemorrhagic stroke and had not regained consciousness. She was only 59 years old; we as a family had decided that she would not want to be trached and pegged. We also knew that she was breathing right with or above the vent so removing the vent would take time for nature to take its course. The family made sure everyone was able to see her before we removed the tube.
We had excellent nurses taking care of her but on Sunday we were sent an angel in the form of Nick Zuerlein. Upon introduction, he told us it was changing of the guard and she and our family were in good hands. The monitors were turned to privacy mode so we were not consumed by vitals but could cherish every moment we had left with her. Nick helped distract us during stagnant times by commenting on the baseball games we were watching and learning how special she was to our family. He updated us throughout every moment of her transition. He never administered any medication or performed any task without explaining himself.
Nick was kind, compassionate, caring, helpful, and tended to our every need. We believe Nick to be an exceptional nurse. Nick is a nurse you are lucky to have working for you. After our precious sister passed he was very helpful with letting us take our time processing our loss!