I had such a lovely experience in the Medical Step Down Unit on Jefferson 3. My Mother -in-law died there right before Christmas. She had pulmonary fibrosis and CHF etc., etc. I must tell your her nurse at the end, Julie-Ann Latona, was awesome - she made me cry truly by her kindness. My in-laws are a big Italian family who cluster together cry and don't make decisions without all talking to each other. They are not able to make decisions without a great deal of input and support. Julie-Ann was amazing, patient and made me proud to work here at MMC. We were all called to come in because my mother-in-law was being taken off life support and a decision was made to Not treat with any additional interventions. Everyone came in spades which is a little intimidating at times with no fewer than 16 family members that included another nurse and her physician brother.

Julie-Ann was trying to get morphine because she knew it was needed for her patient's struggling respiratory situation and heart failure but was having trouble with getting answers because my Mother-in-law had told everyone she was allergic to morphine. She was not really allergic but she didn't like the way it made her feel in the past. Julie-Ann took the time to discuss with them the reason for the needed morphine and allay their fears. My in-laws were afraid of a Foley because they thought she would get a UTI - again missing the point - but they were stuck and Julie-Ann was there to explain the need to the family with her kind demeanor in every exchange. At one point, I stepped out and asked when she thought they were turning off her pacemaker and she mentioned a final decision to do so had not been made. I was surprised and asked her to it bring up with the physicians as well as palliative care.

Julie-Ann was kind, considerate, understanding, empathic and so pleasant during everything. She advocated for the patient's wishes and took the time to listen and speak with her when she was so short of breath. Both my father-in-law and I offered to help put her on bedpan, but Julie-Ann said "No. You are family and need to visit with her not care for her, that is my job."

Many times as nurses over the last 25 years I have been put in situations to make decisions or help with care of a family member just because I am a nurse. Julie-Ann had the maturity and kindness to allow me to be family and not a nurse - my family spoke so highly of her they felt that she had no other patients and gave every stitch of her energy to Mom. She worked diligently, got all the physicians in order, administered meds as needed, was there before we could ask, and never once asked us to wait.

I know it sounds like what we expect but it was so much more whether it be kind expressions, touching an arm, asking everyone of them if they were ok, or patience way beyond what I can't express.

But you will find this funny so I am telling you, my Father-in-Law was chief of police in Mendham for years. He felt so thankful for Julie-Ann that he gave her a PBA card on the way out, through the tears of losing his wife of 54 years. He stated "Julie-Ann is my friend, now family,and she is a damn good nurse and should be highly commended for it!" We know that she so deserves this recognition! THANK YOU !!!