August 2020
Katherine
Ashen
,
RN
Definition Observation
Dignity Health Mercy San Juan Medical Center
Carmichael
,
CA
United States
Today while making my rounds on one of our units, I overheard a very touching story that had me in tears by the sad situation and also the compassion Katie showed as the nurse. We had a 68-year-old gentleman admitted with a diagnosis of COVID Pneumonia. This patient came to us alert and oriented and his condition slowly declined. Since the patient was COVID positive, he was not allowed to have any visitors. His daughter was 39 weeks pregnant with her first child, and his first grandchild. As his mentation waxed and waned, his family was completely torn apart by his decline. Katie tried to get the family to FaceTime with the patient, but they did not have an iPhone. So to help, Katie downloaded WhatsApp and instructed the family on how to download on their phones as well. Katie found the daughter in the app and friend requested her. Through this app (and Katie's ingenuity) this family was able to say goodbye to their husband and father. The most touching was the conversation that the pregnant daughter was able to have with her father. As Katie patiently stood in the patient's room and held her phone up so the patient could see and hear his family on her screen, the daughter was able to tell him all the things she needed to before he passed away, which he did yesterday.