We met Wendy the night my father was admitted to the hospital the first time. She was so kind and made his admission smooth and comfortable. Over his several stays during the fall of 2019, Wendy made a point to visit our dad as well as the family, even when she was not his nurse. She would sit with him, buy him a drink, or just check-in to make sure he was fine. This gave him a lot of comfort and he was so grateful to know there was someone in the hospital that looked out for him. Wendy also made a point to visit with the family and this too, gave us a level of comfort during a difficult time for all of us. While at the funeral a beautiful flower arrangement was delivered and it was from Wendy. That level of caring and commitment is very rare today and our family will forever be grateful for her devotion to patients and nursing.
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I have worked alongside Wendy for over 1.5 years and with each patient encounter, she has showcased tremendous compassion, patience, and empathy. There is one connection in particular that especially stands out. A patient had been admitted to the 8th floor three times since mid-November 2019. During his first two admissions, Wendy was one of the many nurses who had cared for him. Wendy and this patient's benevolent and genuine dispositions laid the groundwork for the connection. The first two admissions were stressed, to say the least - complicated by worsening renal carcinoma, nephrostomy placement with subsequent infection, pneumothorax with subsequent chest tube placement, and more. The patient's unwavering physical and mental courage, along with his kind and grateful soul, caught the attention and heart of Wendy. Even when Wendy was not assigned to him, she would stop in his room regularly to check on him. During his third admission, the patient was noticeably deteriorating. Though Wendy was not assigned to him, she made every effort to stop into his room. On her days off, she even left him messages via her colleagues to assure him that she was always thinking about him. The patient would regularly ask the staff about Wendy and share with them about "how wonderful and thoughtful she is".
As the cancer spread and the pain worsened, each day was a struggle to encourage the patient to eat or drink. In between caring for her own patients, Wendy offered different options of snacks and beverages without any success. Finally, she journeyed down to Freshii's to purchase a beverage that she thought he would like. To her delight and to the delight of the staff, the patient consumed and enjoyed the entire beverage - the first thing he had consumed in days. On his day of discharge before being sent with hospice, Wendy stopped into to see our patient. She held his hand and assured him that she would always keep him in her thoughts and prayers. Together, they shared a tearful goodbye as transport readied him for home.