Sheila Hill-Jordan
May 2021
Sheila
Jordan
,
MSN RN OCN
Cancer Center 2 Shorb/9 Shorb
Methodist University Hospital
Sheila and I spoke overnight and I explanted to her that we needed to coordinate equipment, supplies, and personnel to perform the treatment at Le Bonheur.
A 13-year-old patient was admitted to the PIC at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital with a severely high white blood count (WBC) due to a new diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The patient's cell count was over 800 and the patient had suffered a stroke with cerebral edema from such a high count. The patient's life was in significant danger due to the high volume of cells and the swelling of his brain secondary to that. The patient was not a candidate for transfer to St. Jude because he was medically unstable.
Upon admission, the PICU physician team asked about the possibility of performing leukapheresis to reduce the patient's WBC. While Le Bonheur had the ability to perform plasma and red cell exchanges, we do not have the ability to perform white cell depletion. It was just prior to the patient's arrive when I reached out to the Le Bonheur CNO to ask if there was a resource in the system to help this patient. This was when Sheila Hill Jordan became involved.
Sheila and I spoke overnight and I explanted to her that we needed to coordinate equipment, supplies, and personnel to perform the treatment at Le Bonheur. Sheila and I determined that members of her team would provide the treatment while the Le Bonheur staff would care for the patient. The following two days, Sheila and B came over from Methodist University Hospital to perform two white cell depletion treatments. They were so gracious and compassionate in their care. They educated members of the Le Bonheur Extracorporeal Therapies Service line on the treatment. They offered emotional support to the family at the bedside. They bonded with the parents and were hugging everyone by the time they left. These associates exemplified what it means to go above and beyond to get a patient what they need to survive! Their willingness to be innovative as well as serve and team oriented demonstrated their belief in the MLH's core values. They made a difference in this patient's outcome.
If they had not been willing to come and be partners in care, this patient would have succumbed to such an overwhelming white blood cell count and his family would have lost their son. I am pleased to report this patient has made significant progress since Sheila and B came to provide this treatment. This would not have been possible without the commitment and collaboration that Sheila and B exhibited. I know the beam in the PICU (Pediatric ICU) as well as this young man's family are FOREVER Grateful for this act of kindness and professionalism.
Upon admission, the PICU physician team asked about the possibility of performing leukapheresis to reduce the patient's WBC. While Le Bonheur had the ability to perform plasma and red cell exchanges, we do not have the ability to perform white cell depletion. It was just prior to the patient's arrive when I reached out to the Le Bonheur CNO to ask if there was a resource in the system to help this patient. This was when Sheila Hill Jordan became involved.
Sheila and I spoke overnight and I explanted to her that we needed to coordinate equipment, supplies, and personnel to perform the treatment at Le Bonheur. Sheila and I determined that members of her team would provide the treatment while the Le Bonheur staff would care for the patient. The following two days, Sheila and B came over from Methodist University Hospital to perform two white cell depletion treatments. They were so gracious and compassionate in their care. They educated members of the Le Bonheur Extracorporeal Therapies Service line on the treatment. They offered emotional support to the family at the bedside. They bonded with the parents and were hugging everyone by the time they left. These associates exemplified what it means to go above and beyond to get a patient what they need to survive! Their willingness to be innovative as well as serve and team oriented demonstrated their belief in the MLH's core values. They made a difference in this patient's outcome.
If they had not been willing to come and be partners in care, this patient would have succumbed to such an overwhelming white blood cell count and his family would have lost their son. I am pleased to report this patient has made significant progress since Sheila and B came to provide this treatment. This would not have been possible without the commitment and collaboration that Sheila and B exhibited. I know the beam in the PICU (Pediatric ICU) as well as this young man's family are FOREVER Grateful for this act of kindness and professionalism.