My 89-year-old mother came into the Emergency Department with sudden onset excruciating left foot pain. Gout was suspected and confirmed by lab work. What was not expected was an INR that was undetectable, meaning greater than 8.9. My mom has taken Warfarin for years and usually only needs minor adjustments. She recently moved into a local assisted living facility and due to a series of errors she was being given a massive dose resulting in over-anticoagulation.

Alissa became my mom’s guardian angel. She kept us informed of all developments and expertly and compassionately cared for my mother and me. Vitamin K was administered orally and we were told mom was going to be sent back to the assisted living facility. This did not sit well with Alissa who became a huge patient advocate. She voiced her concern about mom’s severe foot pain with an inability to bear weight, her anticoagulation status, and her age. The decision was reversed and mom was admitted. It took 4 days to bring her INR down using IV Vitamin K. Going back to assisted living could have resulted in disaster. I have been a registered nurse in various facilities and various positions for 35 years and I was never so proud of our profession as I was that night witnessing what a smart, kind, compassionate nurse was truly capable of. Allissa is a role model and I can’t thank her enough.