Julie Zajac
January 2023
Julie
Zajac
,
ASN, RN
Ambulatory Treatment Services
Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital
McHenry
,
IL
United States
Julie made me feel validated when I felt like I was crazy. She comforted me when the tears wouldn't stop flowing.
Ever since I had my PowerPort placed in 2019, Julie flushes it every 5 weeks. My port is very finicky and she is the ONLY nurse who can get it on the first try every time. During my VERY complicated pregnancy, I saw Julie at the hospital twice a week for IV fluids and medications to give me and my son the nourishment we needed to keep going. For 17 straight weeks, I had severe hyperemesis gravidarum and vomited 100+ times a day, so I needed fluids with vitamins to keep me going. I went to Northwestern McHenry 2x/week, on top of MFM 1x/week at another hospital over an hour away....then I was there 2x/week from 30 weeks on....it was exhausting, to say the least. With the intermittent L&D visits for hydration, my 3 inpatient L&D stays, the multiple ER trips for pregnancy-related complications, and so on.
Julie was the ONE nurse who always made me feel like a person every time I saw her...not a dollar sign, not a burden, not a "patient." Julie made me feel validated when I felt like I was crazy. She comforted me when the tears wouldn't stop flowing. She knew I liked the room with the bed over the chair & she knew I liked 2 blankets, not just 1. She knows my port is tilted and deep, and exactly where to poke. After just the first few visits, she stopped asking "if I needed a snack or a drink" because she knew it made me sick, and instead, told me to tell her if I needed anything. Julie could ALWAYS tell from her first glance at me if it "has been a rough morning" so she knew to waste no time and start the meds ASAP before my fluids. It was THOSE "little" things that showed me that she cared....she made me feel more like family. Julie is the type of nurse whom EVERY nurse (new or old) should aspire to be like...because of HER, going to the hospital 2x/week for 17 weeks wasn't as bad as you'd think it would be
I was so emotional the first time Julie met my son. She knew me BEFORE him, took care of me/him in-utero, and will continue to take care of me every 5 weeks until....well.....until she no longer works there. The circle of life is a BEAUTIFUL thing, and I believe this is the perfect testimony of that. God is so, so good. See you in 5 weeks, Julie, and THANK YOU for everything from the bottom of OUR hearts!
Julie was the ONE nurse who always made me feel like a person every time I saw her...not a dollar sign, not a burden, not a "patient." Julie made me feel validated when I felt like I was crazy. She comforted me when the tears wouldn't stop flowing. She knew I liked the room with the bed over the chair & she knew I liked 2 blankets, not just 1. She knows my port is tilted and deep, and exactly where to poke. After just the first few visits, she stopped asking "if I needed a snack or a drink" because she knew it made me sick, and instead, told me to tell her if I needed anything. Julie could ALWAYS tell from her first glance at me if it "has been a rough morning" so she knew to waste no time and start the meds ASAP before my fluids. It was THOSE "little" things that showed me that she cared....she made me feel more like family. Julie is the type of nurse whom EVERY nurse (new or old) should aspire to be like...because of HER, going to the hospital 2x/week for 17 weeks wasn't as bad as you'd think it would be
I was so emotional the first time Julie met my son. She knew me BEFORE him, took care of me/him in-utero, and will continue to take care of me every 5 weeks until....well.....until she no longer works there. The circle of life is a BEAUTIFUL thing, and I believe this is the perfect testimony of that. God is so, so good. See you in 5 weeks, Julie, and THANK YOU for everything from the bottom of OUR hearts!