On 8/30 my husband was admitted to OSF, through the ER. (On 8/1, he had learned his Mantle Cell Lymphoma had relapsed). We weren't sure what was going on at this point, but he had several issues. The ER doctor decided he should be on an ICU floor, at least to start, then would probably have been moved to a regular medical floor. Due to the MICU being full, he was sent to the SICU floor. Thus began a 16 day journey that ended with his death.

I wish to nominate nurse Amanda Neudorf for her unparalleled care several times during his stay. She was his first day nurse and it turned out she was also his last nurse when he passed on 9/15. In between those two days, he also had her at least 2 more times. She got to know us and we got to know her. My husband was not conscious during a lot of this time, but still might have heard/felt things. Amanda was really good at talking to him, explaining what was going on and why. And at the same time, helping us understand some of what was happening. The problem was that the doctors couldn't figure it out. Amanda fought for him all that she could by discussing medications, dosages and timing with the doctors. She tried everything she could to help him stay comfortable and improve. In the end, nothing helped.

We were told that the only thing they could figure out was that he'd had a catastrophic reaction to a chemotherapy drug he'd had a couple of weeks earlier. Amanda kept trying to help him, right up until the end. She helped me also, by being there to talk with, by explaining things well, but not sugar-coating anything.

Over the course of our stay, we met several different nurses, so got to see different styles of nursing. There were a handful of others that came close to Amanda's level of compassion, caring and knowledge, I wish I could nominate them also. But, Amanda rose above the rest, at least for our family. My husband passed near the time she got off of her shift on the 15th, she helped me carry his things and the things I'd accumulated during that time out to my car. She made sure I was ok enough to drive home before she left. Again, it was something she didn't have to do, but it was much appreciated and I'm glad she was his last nurse.

Thank you, Amanda, for all you did for our family.