On Friday morning, my husband almost died. He was preparing to discharge from the Francis wing of the hospital on Friday morning. In the wee hours of the morning, he got up to use the bathroom and fell. Fortunately, he had pulled the alert cord and they found him on the floor. Dr. B from Anesthesiology was called and was the first person to save his life that day. I was called at approximately 4:50 am Friday morning. The doctor told me on the phone that he had fallen, had CPR, was in critical condition, and I should bring our children and get to Rochester. I have never been so terrified in my life.

As the next 24 hours progressed, we started to learn about the number of exceptional medical providers who happened to be in the right place at the right time to save my husband’s life. After he survived an emergency surgery, a team of doctors visited our family in the ICU family room and explained everything. One of the providers whom I am convinced played a key role in the critical hours and then critical days after that surgery was Karissa Borchardt. It is important to me that someone know the way her many strengths came together in the hours and days that have literally been critical in keeping my husband alive. Karissa was in the room when I was able to first see my husband after the event. He was sedated and on a ventilator. We were all reeling from thinking he would die. Karissa was kind and gentle and assured us that we could touch and speak with him. She let us know what everything was and while she gave us our space, added a sense of steadiness to our otherwise shaky and frightening experience.

Karissa assured me I could sit in the room near my husband instead of in the ICU family waiting room. It was powerful to watch how she spoke to him, deeply sedated, with everything she did. I later learned that all providers do that for sedated patients. It is one of the most moving things I have ever experienced. At one point, my husband’s blood pressure dropped. The medical team came in and were trying to assess if there was a problem. They did an ultrasound to see if there was more internal bleeding, ordered some labs, etc. It was then that I saw Karissa really shine. She was in place and seemed to anticipate everything the doctors would ask for next. As I watched on with scared eyes, I clung to her steadiness and calm nature as she methodically worked almost like a liaison between the doctors themselves and the machines and medicines. At one point she was prepared to hang more fluids so when the docs asked, it was immediately done.

Here’s the thing…she then said, “I suspect it may be that he is just behind on fluids and maybe pushing them will help balance things out.” And the medical team listened to her, said it made sense, and said that is what to try first. Boy, do I love the team approach at Mayo! The fact that they knew Karissa had been with my husband and knew his details – and spoke calmly and confidently – coupled with the fact that they honored her suggestion was powerful to witness. And, perhaps no surprise, the fluids is what ended up working. Karissa explains everything to us. Every bit of medicine. Every lab. Every dressing change. Her emotional intelligence is the best I have experienced in a nursing situation. Karissa is simply the best nurse we have EVER had. Her intuition, her kindness, her skill, her ability to not only learn from others (e.g. medical teams that come around) but also her ability to teach others is phenomenal. Quite simply, she is the most patient-centered care provider we have ever had.

All the nurses here are great – whether on the floor or in ICU. They may do all the same job but there is something about the way Karissa sees the whole thing through the eyes of the patient. It is almost like she is a mind reader. And her practical skills are equally amazing. We know the recovery drill from past surgeries, but she has been the best in terms of little things like knowing that a different adhesive bandage covering a wound might be more comfortable to removing peripherals like the catheter NG tube, etc. She is gentle, she anticipates almost everything and is prepared, and she has given my husband a level of dignity and reassurance that I’ve never observed in a hospital setting as amazing as all the caregivers here are. She even made sure as his primary caregiver that I took care of myself so I could be strong for him.

Since Friday I’ve also seen other staff pop in to ask Karissa’s input. I’ve also noticed that staff are always eager to help support and supplement Karissa’s care if asked. She seems to have an amazing rapport with every around her: senior staff, peers, and learning staff. I simply can’t say enough. We just met with his medical team and tonight they will be able to move my husband from the ICU to a regular floor. This is a huge relief. However, we will miss the steadiness and compassion that Karissa’s care provided. I felt safest taking breaks from my husband’s side when she was there. I know it may seem small, but when your husband comes this close to dying, having a provider – a HUMAN – like Karissa makes all the difference to the patient and the anxious wife. We will be eternally grateful for the role Karissa played in those critical hours and the days that followed. It is just so easy to complain that I wanted to be sure we took time to say what was good – oh so very good.