Linda McAllister
March 2020
Linda
McAllister
,
BSN, RN
Washington Township ICU
Jefferson Health New Jersey
Stratford
,
NJ
United States
On Thursday my boyfriend, my mom, and I arrived at the hospital so I could have a hysterectomy due to large fibroids and horrible pelvic pain. As we were leaving registration, my boyfriend collapsed due to what we learned later was a massive pulmonary embolism. He was taken from the ED straight to ICU. I was told that his condition was critical and unstable, and his life was in jeopardy.
Needless to say, I postponed my surgery to be by his side. When my mom and I got up to the ICU, we met Linda McAllister, the angel who would be J's nurse for a few days in the ICU. Linda was not only an amazing nurse for J, but she treated me as her patient as well. The first uncertain day seemed to last forever but through it all was Linda. She made sure I was comfortable as I could be under the circumstances, was staying hydrated and eating.
After being at the hospital for 12 hours that first day, I was able to go home and rest that night because Linda made sure everyone in the unit who was going to be caring for J had my cell phone number and promised to call me if there was any change good or bad so I could get back there immediately.
While everyone who cared for J was fantastic, Linda McAllister was extraordinary! She brought a sense of calm to a terrifying and emotionally charged situation. She even took very pointed questions from J's father, answering them and handling the situation beautifully. I truly don't know what we would have done without Linda. The level of care she brought was the best I have ever seen, even in an ICU setting. We knew that if she didn't have an answer, she would bring us the person who knew it.
I knew J was in exceptional hands while I was at home. Linda gave us all of the confidence in the world that J would pull through. She had such a positive attitude, that she made us believe it. As someone who was terrified she was losing the love of her life, what Linda did for me was exceptional, extraordinary, wonderful, and simply amazing. I don't know if Linda would see what she did as anything other than the day to day of her job. To us, though, Linda was a breath of fresh air. There aren't enough words of praise in the English language to explain what Linda did for us.
Needless to say, I postponed my surgery to be by his side. When my mom and I got up to the ICU, we met Linda McAllister, the angel who would be J's nurse for a few days in the ICU. Linda was not only an amazing nurse for J, but she treated me as her patient as well. The first uncertain day seemed to last forever but through it all was Linda. She made sure I was comfortable as I could be under the circumstances, was staying hydrated and eating.
After being at the hospital for 12 hours that first day, I was able to go home and rest that night because Linda made sure everyone in the unit who was going to be caring for J had my cell phone number and promised to call me if there was any change good or bad so I could get back there immediately.
While everyone who cared for J was fantastic, Linda McAllister was extraordinary! She brought a sense of calm to a terrifying and emotionally charged situation. She even took very pointed questions from J's father, answering them and handling the situation beautifully. I truly don't know what we would have done without Linda. The level of care she brought was the best I have ever seen, even in an ICU setting. We knew that if she didn't have an answer, she would bring us the person who knew it.
I knew J was in exceptional hands while I was at home. Linda gave us all of the confidence in the world that J would pull through. She had such a positive attitude, that she made us believe it. As someone who was terrified she was losing the love of her life, what Linda did for me was exceptional, extraordinary, wonderful, and simply amazing. I don't know if Linda would see what she did as anything other than the day to day of her job. To us, though, Linda was a breath of fresh air. There aren't enough words of praise in the English language to explain what Linda did for us.