Jennifer Whitaker
April 2022
Jennifer
Whitaker
,
RN, CPN
2 West Pediatrics
Vidant Medical Center
Greenville
,
NC
United States

 

 

 

Heather and Jennifer organized and purchased a hot pink motorized car for this patient and delivered it to her at her home. There are many pictures of her exuberant face as she received her present.
I had the honor and privilege of being a bedside nurse providing care to a young child with metastatic cancer. She was transferred to my home unit-the Pediatric Unit ICU at VMC-for escalation in care from the pediatric floor, however, her disease process worsened and she ultimately was able to transfer back to her oncology nurses on the pediatric floor to spend her last weeks surrounded by the devoted nurses who so lovingly cared for her. I am writing this nomination in reverence of the remarkable team who cared for this child-who not only cared for her ailing body, but recognized every opportunity to make this child's end of life as outstanding as she was. There are 2 nurses, Jennifer Whitaker and Heather Barton, who organized and purchased a hot pink motorized car for this patient and delivered it to her at her home. There are many pictures of her exuberant face as she received her present, and I can imagine how special and cherished this patient felt, along with her mother. I am in awe of their ability to transcend the deep sadness that pervades pediatric end of life, and their joining effort to demonstrate how special this little girl was and how connected they felt to both her and her family. What Jennifer and Heather did in celebrating this little life did not just benefit this child and her family, but also serves to enrich the nursing environment at VMC, to demonstrate that every opportunity at the bedside is another moment to change a child's life.