In addition to being an excellent nurse, Lori was one of the kindest most caring people I have ever met. I spent several days in ICU. Prior to this, I was a healthy energetic person who was very seldom sick. I was very devoted to my family and a Nursing Supervisor at a local Hospital. That all changed in minutes. I suffered a cardiac arrest at home and was transported to Harborview. My family was devastated. When I was transferred from the ER to Cardiac ICU, Lori was my nurse. In addition to giving me excellent care (unfortunately I was sedated and did not realize this), she kept my family informed about everything that was happening and did this in a way that they understood. She never acted rushed and made sure that all their questions were answered.
On the day that I was extubated, I really was having difficulty processing the events of the week. I was not saying much but apparently, the look on my face made Lori realize that something was really bothering me. In my mind, I could remember the events that led up to my cardiac arrest but from then on, my mind was blank. Lori sat with me for a long time and with her help, I was able to process what had occurred. Some of it was troubling and I wanted my family to know. Shortly before then, Lori had told my family that I was doing better and that they needed to go home and rest. We both felt my family needed to be involved so Lori called them. My sister was panicked when the Harborview phone number came across her phone, but Lori started the conversation with "don't worry L is all right."
Lori made sure that all the right people at HVMC were notified and even came to visit me when I was transferred to the telemetry unit.
A few weeks after I was discharged, B and I had driven out to Green Lake and were sitting in the car people watching. All of a sudden, I hear him yelling out the window "Hey Lori" I look up and it was in fact, my wonderful nurse! She and her daughter came over and we had a nice visit!
I have been an RN for 44 years. I have worked with many nurses over the years and I can honestly say Lori is one of the best I have known. In addition to her excellent clinical skills, she demonstrated the kindness and compassion needed to assist her patients and their families during what could be the most difficult times of their lives.
I am forever grateful and because of this, Lori is a true DAISY Nurse.