On September 5, 2015, my mother was a patient in the emergency room at ORMC near death. Several hours after consulting with the emergency room doctors, my mom was on the "end of life path". Although she had health issues in the past, my family was not expecting to hear she was not going to survive. By the evening of September 5th, my mom was admitted to the fourth floor. When I arrived back at the hospital Sunday morning, my sister was very distraught wondering if we had helped my mom make a wrong decision, as her condition appeared to be improving.
As I stood trying to decide what to say to my sister, I saw Irene Moloney. The Moloney children attended school where I teach and although I was not their teacher; her face was familiar to me. Irene Moloney looked at me and asked if she could help. I remember feeling so thankful for that offer. I explained to her that we were now uncertain about the decision we helped our mom make. Irene assured us that we were following plans my mom had discussed for a long time and that it was so important that the family was sticking together with following my mom's wishes. She also said that it can be very difficult, but the best thing to do was what my mom wished. That was just the first of many times she showed us how compassionate she is.
Over the next several days, Irene Moloney patiently walked us through similar conversations - each time calmly letting us know we were doing the right thing. As I'm sure all of you reading this have experienced in situations like this, the next several days were like being on a roller coaster. My family and I felt absolutely helpless. When I tell you that I don't know what we would have done without Irene Moloney, it is truly a major understatement.
My mom had conversations with doctors that left us wondering if she understood what her decision to be on the "end of life" care meant. Again, Irene was there to calm our fears. That morning, she had a conversation with my mom and was completely confident, after talking with her, that she understood her decision. Irene shared that with us when we expressed concern, again, about her understanding of the situation. How amazing is that? She knew we were worried that my mom was capable of having the discussions we were having with her and took the initiative to have a one to one conversation with her!
There were many times when Irene entered the room when my mom was not in good condition/struggling and she was so very respectful and kind to everyone each and every time. Although, I'm sure it would make her job much easier to not have to answer the same types of questions repeatedly (sometimes from the same person), Irene Moloney answered them with the understanding that we did not have her similar experiences/knowledge.
One frustration that we experienced, several times, was the lack of communication between the doctors. One doctor would walk in and tell us (my mom and her family) one thing and the next doctor would come in, within minutes, and say the opposite thing. We felt very confused and upset. We shared this with Irene Moloney, who always gave professional explanations for the differing opinions. We were planning to meet with one of the doctors one day and Irene took the time to share our concerns with the doctor before we met with him, as she had spent more time with us. She did not make us feel that our concerns were unjustified while not pointing any blame on the doctors. It is a very experienced nurse who can walk that tightrope!
Even though I am sure she believes she was "just doing her job", my family and I know Irene Moloney went above and beyond to help all of us through a very difficult experience!