Heather is an incredible nurse. Her patient was a retired marine, he presented to the ED with signs and symptoms of a stroke. His wife stated, “we had been to breakfast and were going shopping when he started acting different.” On evaluation, the patient was alert but only oriented to himself. He had very repetitive questioning. His wife said there were no known previous head injuries. A CT of the brain without contrast was performed and showed concern for the left temporal vasogenic edema. Further studies were completed, and the patient had orders to transfer to another hospital.

What made this situation different and meaningful for the patient and the wife? Heather Brock. She was the nurse caring for the patient and his wife. His wife reported that her husband is her whole world, they have no children, only cats. She was very tearful and scared. Not only did Heather provide excellent care to the patient, but the care she provided to the wife was exceptional.

"Heather was with us through it all. She kept us up to date on testing being done, and what to expect and she never seemed too busy or rushed to take time for us. When we were told that we would be transferred to another hospital, our care didn’t stop. Heather didn’t just rush in, filling out forms and asking questions, she stopped by my chair as if to say, I am here for you. She understood my tears and made me feel that I could tell her how I felt. When I told her, I had been with him since I was 14 years old and had never driven to or in the city of the next hospital, she immediately went to work to console those fears as well. I was given great directions that day, she was our angel. She listened. She knew what we needed and helped me organize my thoughts so that I could make better decisions. She is a great nurse and now we consider her part of our family."