Katie is one of those rare individuals who was truly born to be a nurse. She embodies all of the qualities that you would hope to find in someone that you have trusted to care for one of your loved ones. Katie is caring, compassionate, genuine, and one of the absolute kindest people you will ever meet. Recently while rounding, a patient's husband described Katie as "someone who you can tell really cares and really loves what she does". There could not be a more accurate description of Katie. She goes above and beyond in a million little ways each and every shift that she works.
A few months ago, PSU5 had a patient who walked into the hospital with a mild cough and SOB and was soon told that she had end-stage pulmonary fibrosis and that her time was limited. From the moment that this patient and her family met Katie, there was an instant bond. They got to know Katie and her extraordinary personality. They even requested that she become the patient's primary nurse. Katie took on this role for the month-long inpatient stay, making every effort to make the patient's last weeks as nice and comfortable as possible. She would sit with the patient and listen to her stories of her family and the full life that she had lived. The patient became unable to eat and popsicles were the one thing that she enjoyed. Katie took it upon herself to buy the patient a variety of different flavored popsicles every day. As the illness worsened, the patient expressed her desire to have her nails painted so that she would feel dignified. Katie came into work on her day off armed with manicure tools and nail polish. She gave the patient a beautiful manicure and pedicure, but most importantly made her feel special. Even after her passing, the husband of the patient continued to call PSU5 to check up on their favorite nurse, Katie.
Katie also had a significant impact on another special patient and his family during a difficult time. My brother, G, was admitted to PSU5. He had been battling cancer his entire 28 years of his life. The care he received on the unit was "top of line". My mother really wanted to thank Katie because of the big difference she made in our lives. We have been to many hospitals across the country throughout my brother's journey with his rare cancer. I cannot even express how compassionate, caring, attentive, and respectful Katie was to not only my brother, but our entire family. She made us feel like we were at home, not in the hospital. G was also blind, and Katie never forgot to announce when she was in the room and explained everything she was going to be doing. She is the definition of what every nurse should be. Every time we came to see G, he was always clean and looked very comfortable. When it was difficult to leave his side, we rested easy knowing that Katie was taking care of him. She made him feel so special in his last couple weeks of his life. Katie has the biggest heart and really touched all of our lives. We will never forget her!