On July 3rd my family and I were involved in a car accident and we were all transported to DePaul for treatment. I have to say that the care provided was very good, but as everything in life, there are people out there that go the extra mile to care not only for the body injuries but also for the ones in the heart, mind and soul. I want you to know that one of your staff members, Nikita, was the one person that alleviated the non visible to the eye wounds.

She was extremely professional, diligent, caring and the best advocate for a mother’s needs. She went out of her way to roll my 10 year old daughter’s bed over next to me so I could hold her hand. She kept me updated on all the happenings with tests being done on the rest of my family. She brought my other children and husband in, still on stretchers for me to see them and rest assured that they were OK. She made arrangements for my husband to ride in the same ambulance when two of my children were transported to Cardinal Glennon. She brought tears to my eyes when she came upstairs to my room during her break the next day just to see me and say Hi. We need to learn from people like Nikita since skills for technical treatment can always be learned but the instinct of genuine care is something you either have or lack.

There were two other staff members (perhaps paramedics) that were very attentive to my daughter’s needs and were kind enough to give a little doll to her after they overheard her being in distress for not having her inseparable stuffed dog. Sometimes the best medicine provided is just the opportunity to hold your loved one’s hands as I was able to hold my sweet baby girl’s hand thanks to Nikita.