I was rushed to the Emergency Room with severe abdominal pain. I thought I had some sort of stomach bug or foodborne illness and was shocked when the attending physician came into my room to tell me that I was not only pregnant but currently having a miscarriage of an ectopic pregnancy. My husband and I have been undergoing fertility treatments for six months, and that diagnosis was a lot for both of us to take in.
Prior to last month, I had never been admitted to a hospital. And, after losing my brother to cancer two years ago, I can confidently say, I really hate hospitals. I have a hard time visiting, and just generally being around all the beeping machines and equipment, because of the memories it brings back. To be honest, I really wasn't sure what to expect.
While I was absolutely blown away by all of the nurses during my three-day stint on 8 South, the nurse that I had the first morning was wonderful.
Danielle deserves truly every accolade that comes her way. She not only made me feel well cared for, she made me feel like family. She advocated for me, and it really touched my heart in a way I wasn't expecting. Of course, nurses protect their patients, monitor their patients, care for their patients, but she fought for me. When we couldn't reach an on-call, she fought to get one on the phone. When the medicine wasn't coming quickly enough from the pharmacy, she told me she was tired of waitingand was walking down there to get it. She constantly checked in with me to let me know, "I know it's been a while for X, Y, Z...but I've got you." And she did. She pushed for answers, and the time slots, and transfers, and everything you can imagine. She advocated for my care and wellbeing as if I was her own sister or a childhood best friend. I was in awe of the treatment. When the doctor came in and started talking about reserving the OR for a possible hysterectomy, I found a kleenex in my hand, and someone wiping my tears before I could even verbalize what I needed. She saw me scared, she saw me overwhelmed, she saw tears coming, and she went to my bedside to hold my hand and comfort me. I was completely blown away, and can't say enough good things about her.
She was also an excellent trainer with her Nursing Student, patiently teaching her, guiding her along, and sharing her secrets, without once ever making me feel like I was getting "less care".
She was kind, she was compassionate, and she really made such an imprint on my life.
I'm sure she had dozens of patients that day but based on how she made me feel, and the level of care I received, I felt like I was the only one on the floor.