I delivered identical twin girls via emergency C-section at Kaiser SDMC and due to complications, I ended up staying hospitalized for a little over a week. During my stay the labor and delivery process was great, the nurses during post-op and recovery were good too, but Clarissa Palmer, RN went above and beyond. She was heaven-sent and I will let you know why.
After waiting it out two days to be able to deliver my babies at 34 weeks, needless to say, my husband, family and I were exhausted. I'm a very stubborn and strong-willed person and feeling like I would be fine on my own, I decided to send them home to rest, thinking I could handle a night alone. Little did I know I was going to have complications and subsequently one of the longest nights of my life! It's all a blur to me now as you can imagine, but I do remember I had to have a blood transfusion and a CT scan to check for hemorrhaging and also had to make a life-altering decision (to potentially have a uterine arterial embolization) in the middle of the night. I felt scared and alone and I do not think I could have gotten through that night without Clarissa's helping hand. I remember her telling me she wasn't supposed to be working in that area that evening but she had volunteered, and I am so glad she did! I remember her talking me through everything, making special arrangements for careful transportation to my procedures. She went as far as walking with me (as I lay on the gurney) to Radiology while holding my hand, which she did not have to do. She comforted me telling me everything was going to be all right as well as talking to me about normal things to get my mind off what was to come. She showed compassion, when she observed me crying afterward and thought to call the MD and get permission to take me down to the NICU to visit my preemie babies for the first time, ordering a wheelchair and escorting me there herself as well. I truly needed that, more than I even knew at the time. She was gentle and kind when taking vitals or administering meds.
She is what a nurse should be and I just want to thank her so she knows she made a difference in at least one person's life and that person is ME. After her shift, I remember feeling as if I did not want her to go but alas it's her job and her shift had ended, and as any professional nurse would she left with a smile, goodbye, and wished me luck. Although I might never see her again, I also will never forget her either. Fortunately, every subsequent time I went to the NICU I noticed a sign for the DAISY Award and knew I had to nominate her. Thank you, Clarissa, you are a true DAISY Nurse.