My husband’s 79-year-old grandmother fell outside of her home and was brought into LCMH ED with a hip fracture. My husband and I have helped to take care of her for the past 10+ years and she has lived with us off and on throughout that time when she needed extra care and when she completely lost her home due to Hurricane Laura. She was such a light and a “spitfire” at the same time, but also the type of person that would love wholeheartedly. She, unfortunately, became more unstable and required to be intubated and coded a few times while in the ED. They were able to stabilize her and transfer her to 3T ICU early the next morning. We made the difficult decision to withdraw care, as she would not have wanted to live with the great deal of life support that she was requiring.

Throughout this time, Kaitlyn Darby took care of her and was so supportive, attentive, and caring. She truly is a rock star and one of the best ICU nurses I have ever seen. She moves with intent, yet exudes compassion. She was a rock throughout the day, helping to walk family members out of the ICU to the restroom, making sure our grandmother’s hair was fixed and that she was clean and presentable. She gathered chairs, called the priest to offer last rites, and just was present. These may all sound like small gestures, but when you feel like the world is crumbling around you, having someone like her is what truly got us through the day.

The next part is something I will truly treasure for the rest of my life but was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. When it came time to withdraw care, I asked Kaitlyn if I could be in there with her and the respiratory therapist, to which she did not hesitate. Turning off the drips, disconnecting lines, silencing the monitor, and extubating her was very difficult but she was treated with such dignity and respect. Being able to be involved in that process to make sure the last time our family saw her, she was free from all of the tubes and lines and looked at peace was such a meaningful experience. She was then surrounded by family and Kaitlyn made sure that she was not struggling and kept her comfortable. She was outside of the door the entire time and did not leave. She offered support and made us feel at ease. We cannot say enough how remarkable the entire experience was and how grateful we are for the providers and nurses at LCMH. We know our family member received the best possible care.