This nurse was my mom’s nurse for the last two nights of her life. On her last night, my aunt and I stayed the night with her. He made it happen for me to sleep in the bed with my mom one last time. He kept us updated about any and all tests that were being done and why, and what those results were. He also spoke to my mom like she could sit up and respond to him, which was a comfort. They had to do a lot of blood work throughout her final night, and he never made me move or anything. He worked around me so I could stay cuddled up with my mom for as long as I could. He was very kind, calm, compassionate, and gentle with my mom and us as a family. He made sure we had everything we needed so we could stay by my mom’s side until the end. He knew when we needed a smile and when we needed space. Oh, how we wish he had been here to walk the honor walk with us for my mom. When he left after shift change, he gave us his condolences and hugs, and told us that it was his honor and pleasure to care for my mom. He made sure I could always be with my mom and if I had to leave the room for any reason, he told us and explained why. He answered any and all questions we had, and if he did not know or could not answer, he would get the doctor so that all our questions and concerns could be answered in a timely manner. He was a blessing and a flicker of light in one of the darkest times in my life.

***

I recently had to spend a significant amount of time at the Northside Gwinnett hospital. My sister-in-law had been admitted for pneumonia. While she was there, she suffered a massive myocardial infarction that ended up leaving her brain dead. At first, there was significant hope that she would survive since she had been immediately resuscitated, but that was not the case. I live in Utah, and as soon as it became apparent that she had suffered significant brain injury, I immediately flew to Georgia to be with my family. 

I was tremendously impressed with the high quality of care given by everyone. Having been a nurse for 40 years I understand what nursing should be. I worked up from being an LPN to my DNP. I also taught nursing for 8 years at the local university. I have worked M/S ED PACU and ICU. There was one nurse that stood out to me. He is a nurse who went above and beyond to care for both my sister-in-law and our family. He was always kind and compassionate to us. He worked so hard to make sure that she could be an organ donor. We had decided as a family to donate her organs so that she could help someone after death. As a family, we were all traumatized by the suddenness of her death. This nurse cared so much. Sometimes it was the little things like giving her a bed bath. He also washed her hair. It sounds simple, but to us, it meant the world. I also observed this nurse managing the multiple IV infusions, arterial line, and helping RT with the ventilator. I cannot emphasize how much his kindness and empathy meant to us. I know that every time I saw him, I would take a deep breath of relief because I knew that he would do his best.

I will always remember the last night of my sister-in-law’s life. The organ donation was scheduled for Friday and her daughter (my niece) wanted to spend the last night of her mother’s life at her side. I also stayed that night to watch over my niece. My sister-in-law was not stable that night. Her blood pressure would change from hypertensive to hypotensive frequently. Her pulse was very irregular and would just change from bradycardic to tachycardic in a few minutes. This nurse was at her side doing everything he could to keep her stable. He told me, "I am going to do everything I can to keep her alive so that she can donate her organs. I know that you folks have suffered so much and I will make sure she can still be an organ donor. I know that this will be a comfort to you. Trust me, it will happen.” He was in the room many times that night whenever we needed him or just to make sure that she was doing okay. He fought so hard to help us that night. It might sound odd to say that he fought for us. But he truly did fight with all his skill knowledge and compassion. I know this because I can think of other times when as a nurse I also fought with everything I had to help someone.

In my opinion, this nurse exemplifies exactly what a nurse should be. I have worked with many people in my years in the medical field and he is the best of them all. He is a true DAISY Nurse. He has my deepest gratitude and I am so thankful he came into our family’s lives when he was so desperately needed. He will ALWAYS be remembered.