During one night shift that I worked, we had a very physically and emotionally draining situation in the ED that involved a toddler. During the attempted resuscitation process, we needed a piece of equipment that was not available in the Broselow cart or the ED resuscitation cart. A call was placed to another patient care area of the hospital in an attempt to locate the device. Chris came to the ED with a cart that they used and offered to help locate what we needed. She remained in the room with all of us throughout the entire process. Our attempts did not have a good outcome and the ED was left in emotional turmoil.

In the midst of all this were the parents who were suffering the greatest loss one could imagine. The anguish and grief were palpable in the room. Chris put aside her own needs and stayed with me and the parents for what seemed like an eternity. She helped to comfort them, offered to help contact other family or friends, and provided emotional support for a significant amount of time. She advocated for their needs while maintaining their right to privacy. She treated them with dignity and respect in a time when it could have been easy to question the circumstances surrounding the whole situation.

I could not have done it alone and the ED staff had a whole department of other patients to care for. To me, this was a selfless act of pure nursing compassion and years of dealing with the beginning of life and at times the end of life. Her skill, knowledge, and experience made her the right nurse at the right time. She made a connection with the family that they needed in their time of grief. She embodies what nursing at UPMC Carlisle should strive to demonstrate every day.