My son was admitted into PCH for a weeklong stay in PEMU. Our night nurse was brought in to us to be introduced. He advised me his name was Larry and he would be my son's nurse for the night. I was advised he was filling in from another floor and would be back to check on us shortly. I wasn't comfortable with the fact that the nurse we were getting wasn't someone who regularly worked the PEMU floor and had concerns that he even knew what signs and symptoms to look for if my son was having a seizure.
Larry came back in a short time later and introduced himself to my son. Larry told him people call him the baby whisperer, to which my son cried and cried. Larry joked and comforted him to make him feel more comfortable.
He then asked me about my son's history and what a typical seizure looks like for him. He wanted to know all the details and asked great questions. It was at this moment that I knew Larry was an amazing nurse that would go above and beyond. I can't tell you the ease that put me at to know that the person watching over my son truly was invested in his care.
My sweet baby boy was beyond fussy, to say the least, that night. It wasn't home and he was off his medications... of course, he was unhappy. Every time I would get him to settle, he would be up less than 5 minutes later screaming again. I would just make it to the couch or chair to try to close my eyes, and he would start crying. I would barely have time to stand up and Larry would already be in the room, right by my son's side trying to console him. In the middle of the night, I had yet to sleep and was beyond exhausted. Larry was kind enough to tell me to go lay down for 20 minutes and he would rock my son. To any sleep-deprived parent, you know what 20 minutes means!
I still can't thank him enough for that. Not even just the nap, but the caring and compassion he showed. My son was never a burden to him or frustrated him. He was always calm, soothing, and just wanting to comfort him. Had Larry not come into my son's room that day and asked all those great questions and showed so much compassion, I never would have felt comfortable enough to trust someone with my child while I closed my eyes.
It is nurses like this that give you hope. It is people like Larry, that even in tough situations, give you the strength to be the best parent for your child.
So thank you, Larry. I'm sure that night was no different than any other day for you, but we will forever be grateful for your kind words and gestures.
Thank you.