Nurse Vanessa Turnbough made a meaningful difference every day she cared for my wife, but one situation stands out as I feel it made all the difference in the world with my wife being able to once again breathe life on her own.
My wife had been intubated for 4 days. Each attempt to remove the tube had been unsuccessful, causing my wife to panic and making it more difficult for her to breathe. My wife, unable to speak, had always expressed a sense of calmness and confidence when Vanessa was there. An attempt to extubate her on this particular morning failed, but throughout the day Vanessa instilled confidence in my wife that the time would come. That afternoon she assessed the situation and called the doctor; within minutes she was breathing on her own.
This is obviously an oversimplification of the medical process, but it happened because of Vanessa's deep care and understanding of her patient as a person. If someone asked me for the definition of an extraordinary, compassionate nurse, I would tell them Ms. Vanessa is a shining example.