Francine truly went above and beyond for her patient. He had lost his job after being diagnosed with cancer and his local community had organized a spaghetti dinner as a fundraiser. He was looking forward to being there when he unexpectedly found himself in our ICU. When Francine learned that he would be missing this event that was so important to him, she sprang into action. Since the patient had an hour and a half drive home and it was already after 9 am, she knew she did not have much time to be able to get things organized.

She contacted the surgeon and with some coaxing was able to gain his permission for the patient to leave on a leave of absence. She found out what forms needed to be completed for the patient to leave and then excitedly entered his room and told him to get ready to go home for dinner.

The patient was overjoyed and eagerly got ready to go. He safely made it home, spent time with family and friends at his fundraiser (who were quite surprised when he arrived, as they too did not expect him to make it). Because of her thoughtfulness and willingness to find a way to make the nearly unheard of happen by getting an ICU patient out on a leave, Francine was able to help her patient enjoy a very special day.