Kate Cathey was on day 3 of taking care of a critically ill patient who was actively dying from complications of ALL. The PICU and heme/onc teams had done all they could do and there were no more medical treatment options for this patient. The mother and father of this patient were slowly coming to terms with the reality of the situation, but the grandmother (who was Mandarin speaking only) could not accept that the patient was dying. This became a very morally distressing and challenging situation as the parents were ready to let go but the grandmother was not. Kate made sure that a Mandarin interpreter was available multiple times to answer all of grandma’s questions and address her concerns. Using the interpreter, she was able to go over every little detail of the patient's care. She also took the time to be a support for the parents who were ready to say goodbye but were holding on to allow grandma the time to come to terms with it.

On day 3 of this assignment, it was clear that the patient was going to pass shortly. The patient’s bereavement cart was empty, and Kate took it upon herself to Doordash the family fresh coffee and baked goods for breakfast. Not only that, but when the food arrived, she used Google translate to label the coffee and baked goods, and other things around the room in mandarin for Grandma. That day, Kate and the PICU team were able to convince the family to make the patient a DNR. She came up with a plan with the MDs and grandma to increase the patient's pain medications and allow the patient to pass peacefully.

She helped not only her patient but also the patient's entire family through the most difficult time in their lives and she did an extraordinary job. She made sure every concern was addressed, every question answered, and request met. She went above and beyond for this patient and left the family feeling confident in their decision. The final moments the family got to spend with the patient were peaceful and I think that is strongly due in part to Kate.