Linda has been a nurse at SwedishAmerican for 46 years! On the med/surg floor, she is known as "the nurse with the purple hair". Any time one of the 9th floor staff welcomes a new baby to their family, Linda gifts them with a hand-knitted blanket.
Recently, Linda started knitting brightly colored blankets with the softest yarn she can find to give to our comfort care patients and their families. The patients and families are able to take the blanket home with them and keep it as a sign of peace and comfort, knowing they were thought and cared about during their darkest times. As we move some of the comfort care patients to a private room, the first thing they say is, "please don't forget my blanket." The patients and their family members are so thankful for the kind gesture Linda makes and often thank her with a tearful eye.
Possibly the best "thank you" she could have ever received was a simple card from a patient's family. They were so moved by Linda's kindness, they decided to place the blanket on top of the patient's coffin when he was laid to rest. They placed it there as a reminder of peace and comfort as he went on his journey from this world to the next.
Our staff and our patients cannot thank Linda enough for the love, comfort and kindness she gives her patients every day whether she is here in the hospital working or at home knitting her unforgettable blankets. Thank you, Linda!