My 7-year-old daughter was brought to your emergency department with frostbite on both hands. Your emergency department was busy and the initial nurse who checked us in was so busy and not enough hands. That is what the norm has become in the medical field and that is so sad. However, someone called for other Nurses to come and help with the ER being so busy. Well, that leads me to the following. You had a nurse who just worked 7pm-11pm for a fellow co-worker. They were at home trying to sleep as they had a working weekend coming up. They CHOSE to answer their phone seeing work was calling. They didn’t have to pick up the phone. As my fiancé and I are in the bay trying to get our 7-year-old to rewarm her hands which was a very painful process for her, we were failing and we could not convince her to touch the tips of her fingers in the water. Then here came the godsend…your Nurse. He sat for at least 2 hours from the time they got to the hospital right by her side until the ambulance showed up to transport us. The RN was patient when our daughter couldn’t bear the pain to submerge her hands all at once. The RN encouraged her, he told her she’s brave, she’s strong, and he knew she could do it.

The RN was compassionate, he showed her sympathy and was motivated to relieve her suffering as much as possible. The RN engaged in conversations with her, from sports, music, TikTok, youtube, and all the way to why the RN wanted to be a nurse and everything in between. If it was not for the RN, my full-of-life energetic, independent 7 year old could have very well lost her fingers and or her hands. I’M SO THANKFUL FOR THE RN!

Our daughter was discharged that following Sunday morning. During her time at the other facility, she compared EVERY nurse to this RN! “You’re nice, but not as nice as my friend Justin.” “Justin helped me save my fingers, he's my nurse in Marshall.” “Justin said I’m brave so I can take the medicine.” “You’re good at your job, I think Justin would do that too.” Everything was compared to this nurse. Why? Because that morning for a short couple of hours that felt like a lifetime they kept her positive they showed the best compassion, hospitality, and patience. Some may think it was a small gesture. This nurse saved her hands. Period. I believe that whole-heartedly. This nurse will always be one of her favorites. We need more nurses just like him! 

My daughter wants to tell Justin, "Thank You for all your help with my hands". She wants Justin to know she is feeling so much better. She wishes them a very Merry Christmas and she hopes they get all the presents they ask for. Thank you for taking the time to read. This nurse is truly an example of what a Nurse is supposed to be. If we had just a few more of them, our world would be a better place. Thank you, Justin!