When I completed my last Chemo at Maine Medical there was something in me that kept saying that I had to say something about a special nurse that took care of me. She went far above and beyond the call of duty. Salena Mackell, you are so special, so caring, so attentive and so smart I cannot find the words to express to everyone who you really are. You are just an amazing person. You always asked me how I was doing, if I needed anything to make me more comfortable and you would always ask my wife if she needed anything. You never let us down and you were always a part of our ride home conversation that my wife and I would have telling each other how lucky we are to have such good care. Salena, I must ask you, do you ever have a bad day? Because if you do, you must let me know how you hide it so well, always smiling and always there to care. Nothing got in your way of doing your job. Facing the reality of having Cancer and being sent to Maine Medical Center for decentralization of Chemotherapy was very scary. I didn't know what to expect or even if I was going to survive it but Salena and the Maine Medical personnel on the Gibson floor put me at ease and made my worries disappear. I feel so lucky to have met such a wonderful person. Thank you, Salena.
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Salena, it's hard to write about such a painful time. When our life plan suddenly comes to a halt one doesn't know how to handle it. Both of us have always been in charge in our jobs, children and family life, but once we had to deal with my husband's prognosis, neither one of us had the mindset to understand it all. It was a blessing in disguise that he became allergic to Chemo, which brought us in for 12-15 hours days every three weeks in the Gibson Unit. We felt safer there than anywhere. We looked forward to our day together with the Gibson Team. Salena came out of nowhere and eased our minds and just took over. For a few hours, I felt she willingly took the weight of our struggles to give us a break and just enjoy the peace and quiet. I was well taken care of and was able to sit in the corner of the room and work on my laptop, and my husband had a nurse who cared so deeply that he would smile laugh and thoroughly enjoy his time getting to know Salena. We felt like she was one of us and was sent to help give us a smile and warmth through a very hard battle. Thank you so much!
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Salena was very pleasant, informative, and efficient and a huge advocate above and beyond for me. Her care and concern were palpable. The biggest and best example involved was one of my medications. The hospital did not have what I needed, I was never informed by the providers, Salena pushed and make sure the medication was obtained before my treatment. She even made sure Maine Medical had my prescription from the outpatient pharmacy before I left. My medications were delayed by 2 hours. Salena stayed beyond her shift to resolve the problem and stayed to administer the drops and hung chemotherapy rather than delay it longer due to change in shift. She was so amazing and concerned; she helped make a terrible situation tolerable. Her attention to detail was amazing, she advocated to physicians and pharmacist what I needed for treatment. I know it was difficult because I heard the whole conversation outside my room. I felt completely blessed to have Salena advocating for me. She did not give up; she was like a dog with a bone, and she kept the doctors on task to my treatment needs not only while I was in the hospital but even my medications, I had to go home with for post-treatment of chemotherapy. I could have had a terrible situation at home if I did not get what I needed to protect my eyes. I'm a little scared, but because I had Salena I had faith in the care I received from her. I've told my whole family how Salena saved my eyes. We can't thank her enough and she really deserves this award. I could have gone blind.