Stephanie Veselka
September 2022
Stephanie
Veselka
,
RN
Neuro ICU
ProMedica Toledo Hospital
Toledo
,
OH
United States
Stephanie pursued this, advocating to medical staff that performing the test ASAP would be best for the patient, best for us as a family, and best for Life Connections.
As a veteran employee of ProMedica, I am not a complete stranger to the hospital environment: the noise, the constant activity, and the invasive nature of acute medical care. The experience of the Neuro ICU at the ProMedica Toledo Hospital was foreign for my sons, however, and the almost constant barrage of information was daunting to all of us.
While my husband’s nurses were all excellent, this nurse in particular was able to guide us through the information provided by the various medical teams (Neurosurgery, Neurology, and Critical Care), often repeating information in lay terms so that we all could comprehend. This person also demonstrated incredible expertise in caring for my husband and extraordinary service to us as a family. After several days in the Neuro ICU, this nurse advocated for my husband, and for us, as his neuro exam performance deteriorated, and we wished to pursue organ donation. They requested a study that would clarify if the essence of my sons' father was still with us, requesting an order from Neurology. The order was entered late in the day, and the team who performs that specific test had gone home for that day. This nurse contacted the tech, who agreed to return if the order was changed to a STAT status. The nurse pursued this, advocating to medical staff that performing the test ASAP would be best for the patient, best for us as a family, and best for Life Connections. They persevered, staying past the end of their shift, and later that evening the test was performed. The test confirmed what we knew in our hearts and lifted a huge burden from us as we began to acknowledge our loss and pursue organ donation.
We are grateful for this nurse’s kindness, humor, and immense knowledge. They are a DAISY Nurse and were very instrumental in the success of the organ donation process. We received confirmation yesterday that my husband's liver and kidneys have saved three lives. No family should have to travel our journey of the last 10 days but having this nurse with us was an immense comfort.
***
This nurse was so caring when taking care of my daughter as well as making sure that myself and other families were doing well. She went above and beyond to relieve our fears and anxiety during an overwhelming and devastating time. She is definitely an asset to the hospital.
While my husband’s nurses were all excellent, this nurse in particular was able to guide us through the information provided by the various medical teams (Neurosurgery, Neurology, and Critical Care), often repeating information in lay terms so that we all could comprehend. This person also demonstrated incredible expertise in caring for my husband and extraordinary service to us as a family. After several days in the Neuro ICU, this nurse advocated for my husband, and for us, as his neuro exam performance deteriorated, and we wished to pursue organ donation. They requested a study that would clarify if the essence of my sons' father was still with us, requesting an order from Neurology. The order was entered late in the day, and the team who performs that specific test had gone home for that day. This nurse contacted the tech, who agreed to return if the order was changed to a STAT status. The nurse pursued this, advocating to medical staff that performing the test ASAP would be best for the patient, best for us as a family, and best for Life Connections. They persevered, staying past the end of their shift, and later that evening the test was performed. The test confirmed what we knew in our hearts and lifted a huge burden from us as we began to acknowledge our loss and pursue organ donation.
We are grateful for this nurse’s kindness, humor, and immense knowledge. They are a DAISY Nurse and were very instrumental in the success of the organ donation process. We received confirmation yesterday that my husband's liver and kidneys have saved three lives. No family should have to travel our journey of the last 10 days but having this nurse with us was an immense comfort.
***
This nurse was so caring when taking care of my daughter as well as making sure that myself and other families were doing well. She went above and beyond to relieve our fears and anxiety during an overwhelming and devastating time. She is definitely an asset to the hospital.