Recently, my mother was a patient in 2E CVICU. She received amazing care from everyone that cared for her there, and for that, we are forever thankful.
I would like to recognize a nurse who never actually put her hands on my mother, but touched her and my family more than we can ever convey.
One night my mother was very, very critical. Many nurses and doctors were in and out of her room working on her. It took many "hands on deck" that night to get my mother to the next morning. Thankfully, WakeMed has a virtual ICU. We were so impressed when we found this out, and we "met" many of the talented nurses that work there. On this night, however, one nurse stood out because of the care and compassion that she demonstrated from miles away.
Nurse Yvonne Wheeless was an angel behind the scenes. My mother's nurse called her many times during the night and she always responded quickly and seemed to be a tremendous help to her nurse. Many times, she came on the camera in the room just to check and see how not only my mother was doing, but how the nurse was doing as well. My mother's nurse was young and had only been a nurse in the ICU a short period of time. She told us how helpful the virtual ICU was to have, and we saw this firsthand.
I overheard several conversations between Nurse Yvonne and my mother's nurse. Each time, Nurse Yvonne seemed to encourage her and support her. She told her she was doing a good job caring for my mother. I have no doubt that my mother's nurse was overwhelmed with how sick my mother had gotten, but Nurse Yvonne was right there with her helping her and my mother.
Thank you for having the virtual ICU and thank you for hiring nurses like this one. She made a difference that night not only to our family, but to a young nurse just beginning her career. I am sure neither of us will ever forget her.