I was admitted for a traditional gastric bypass. Everything seemed standard until I came out of surgery. Obviously, not knowing what pain to expect, I brushed off the feeling I was experiencing as "normal". I was blessed to have a very kindhearted nurse, Sarah Taylor, for the nightshift. She was extremely patient and observant of my needs. Little did I know this keen eye to observation would save my life.
That night I rang the call bell and was in extreme pain. She rushed in to evaluate me and realized something had become very wrong. I was going in and out, but I remember seeing a ton of nurses and CNAs arrive in my room concerned. Sarah reached out to my surgeon believing I had a leak or was bleeding internally, both of which are life-threatening. Because of her confidence in medical training, she was the main person who ensured my surgeon came back on-site and performed emergency surgery. She was able to keep me calm and remained confident during the entire process. I knew coming into this surgery the risk of death averages around 1:300. I never thought I would fall into that statistic.
If it wasn't for Sarah I may not be here today. I am a mother of three little girls and knowing she did everything in her power to keep me here with them means more than I can ever express. It's hard to write this without becoming emotional. Nurses are often overlooked and treated poorly by patients. This is the least I can do to say thank you for saving me. I will never be able to repay her properly, but I wish to have her honored with the DAISY Award and recognized publicly as an important member of our community.