During the course of my nursing career at UIHC, I have always been extremely proud of the work we do here. This summer was the first time I was on the receiving end of seeking the specialized care that we are so fortunate to offer to our community and state. In the early evening hours of July 29th, 2015, I quickly recognized that my 8-year-old daughter was in distress. She was out riding her scooter with the neighborhood children, when a neighbor alerted us to the fact that she had taken a pretty bad fall.
Even after reminding her to wear her helmet, she did not have it on. Within 20 minutes of her fall, she was vomiting, had visual disturbances, and an altered mental status. I made the decision to drive her to the hospital, as my husband looked for someone to watch our two younger children. During that 10-minute drive, I experienced some of the scariest moments I have ever dealt with as a mother. My daughter began drifting in and out of consciousness, and I feared that I wasn't going to get her to the emergency room in time.
Upon our arrival, the triage team immediately recognized the serious nature of her injury. My husband arrived just as our daughter was emergently taken for a CT scan. Almost the instant she was back from testing, the pediatric physician covering the ER informed us of the diagnosis. My daughter was suffering from an epidural hemorrhage, caused by a temporal lobe fracture that cut a blood vessel likely at time of impact from the fall. I remember hearing that Neurosurgery was on the way, and she was being scheduled Class A for the OR.
Even in the blur of activity, I recall a sense of calm. The ER Nurse, Holly Olson, was my rock. She helped prep my daughter for her trip to the OR by starting her IV and medications. Her calm demeanor and gentle touch kept my daughter calm and allowed me to keep it together for my daughter.
Even though my daughter was under her care for less than 30-60 minutes, my daughter woke up from surgery the next day to a note, a beautiful flower and a balloon from that amazingly sweet nurse. Holly Olson's combination of professionalism and empathy are exactly what we needed and were so thankful for that night.
My daughter's surgery went perfectly. Around 1 AM she was admitted to the PICU where we were greeted with so many friendly faces in the early morning hour. I have worked in our PICU for many years, and even though it felt like VIP treatment, I knew that the "special" treatment we received is part of their everyday, for every patient. As a parent, I now realize how impactful their approach to care is so deeply appreciated by the families.
My daughter's special blanket and teddy bear made the trip to the hospital with her. They have been a source of comfort nearly her entire life. The morning after her surgery she started asking about her injury and could feel the bandage on her head. She became very tearful when we had to explain that in order for the doctors to fix her injury, they had to shave off her hair. The PICU nurse on duty overheard me having to explain this tough news to her and decided to try to lift her spirits. Seeing that my daughter was very attached to her teddy, the nurse decided to bring in a matching hat for teddy to wear. That simple gesture by the PICU nurse allowed me to take a breath of relief for the first time since the accident. Seeing teddy's hat put a sweet little smile on my daughter's face. I knew the moment our daughter smiled, she was slowly coming back to us.
This holiday season, as my family has begun to reflect upon the past year, we have so many things to be thankful for. We are thankful for the expertise of the faculty and staff at UIHC and UI Children's Hospital; in particular, the Emergency Room Team, the PICU and the Neurosurgery Team. We are thankful that due to their expertise and professionalism, our daughter has made a full 100% recovery.
Thank you doesn't seem to quite cover the depth of my appreciation for what your teams did, but THANK YOU. You saved my little girl's life.