John Crayton was caring for a patient, unfortunately, facing an unexpected, lengthy hospital stay due to pancreatitis. The patient's stress was augmented by the harsh reality that his daughter's wedding was quickly approaching. Our patient remained hopeful that he would be discharged or allowed to temporarily leave the hospital in order to take part in his daughter's special day.
He was informed that he was not well enough to be discharged. He and his daughter were devastated.
Holding tightly to her last glimmer of hope for her dad to be involved in the most important day of her life, his daughter approached John to express her immense sadness and discuss her wishes to be able to somehow incorporate her father into her wedding. She and John deliberated the possibility of her coming to the hospital prior to her wedding to surprise the patient. This would give him the opportunity to see his daughter in her wedding gown with his own eyes. Unbeknownst to her or her dad, John made the extra effort to reach out to management and pastoral services and elicit additional ideas and resources to make this surprise even more special to both of them.
On the wedding day, John told his patient that he would be going to a routine x-ray. Instead, John wheeled him to a large private room where his daughter, all ready for her big day, awaited. It was in that room that the pair enjoyed their father-daughter dance, took pictures, and cried tears of joy. That would have been enough for the two of them to have memories that would last them a lifetime, but thanks to John, his patient's involvement in his daughter's wedding did not end there.
John had gone above and beyond to coordinate the care in such a way that allowed him to walk his daughter down the aisle and mingle with guests throughout the reception via FaceTime. This patient's care was subject to frequent lab draws, vital signs, and assessments. In order to afford him the time to enjoy his evening with limited interruptions, John coordinated with multiple disciplines that agreed to cluster his care. This granted him the privacy he required to enjoy his daughter's big day. Although he was unable to physically attend his daughter's wedding, the outstanding care from John enabled him to remain a significant part of her day. The patient and his daughter were exceptionally thankful to John and the staff for coordinating such an unforgettable experience.
As a nurse on a Progressive Care Unit, John frequently cares for patients, who have lengthy, complicated and unexpected hospital stays. This causes many patients to miss out on events that are important to them. But with some creativity of a nurse, like John, who goes above and beyond the call of duty, patients have the rare ability to feel at home in a hospital bed.
Even in seemingly impossible situations, John goes out of his way to give his patients the best overall experience possible and somehow finds a way to bring the impossible to life. This is a rare and all too often forgotten skill amongst caretakers. John leads by example and reminds us all that nursing involves much more than just caring for a patient's health. After all, our patients might forget our names and what we told them, but they will never forget how we made them feel. John never loses sight of that. His constant effort to make a genuine difference in his patients' lives is an inspiration to all of us fortunate enough to work with him.