Claire M Hansel
November 2022
Claire M
Hansel
,
BSN, RN
9 Mountain ICU
Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital
Roanoke
,
VA
United States
One evening when we entered his room, Claire was washing those locks and combing out debris with a fine-tooth comb…to make him look more like “our” young man.
In November 2022, our family experienced a tragedy. My 20-year-old nephew suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was airlifted from Gretna to Carilion in Roanoke. He was placed on 9 Mountain ICU. We are a very close-knit family, and our entire family was devastated. Claire was my nephew’s nurse for the majority of the days he was at Carilion. And when I say that Claire was AMAZING-I feel as though that doesn’t fully describe her greatness.
When we entered his room Claire would always welcome us with a big smile (yes, you could see it even from behind her mask), and a hello, as though she was delighted to see us, and never an added burden. Her greetings alone made us feel that she cared for us, as well as my nephew. Claire was so patient and kind. She answered all our questions with such knowledgeable answers that were so sincerely worded.
She sacrificed her needs to care for him. One day, I saw her enter the breakroom with a sandwich and only a mere five minutes later, she entered my nephew’s room. I questioned her and said, "You couldn’t have possibly eaten your sandwich that quickly.” She said, “I had enough of it.” And quickly dismissed my concern for her nourishment to focus 100% of her time on my nephew.
There were numerous times that his IV pumps would alarm while I or other family members were beside of the pumps. Instead of interrupting our precious moments with him, she would do acrobatics using one arm and one leg to hang another bag. When asked, “Do you need me to move?” She replied, “No, I can get to it without a problem.”
My nephew had long locks of curls that he loved and was so proud of. One evening when we entered his room, Claire was washing those locks and combing out debris with a fine-tooth comb…to make him look more like “our” young man.
You see, I have been a nurse myself for over 28 years and the compassion, kindness, and genuine care Claire provided are traits of an exemplary nurse. She didn’t have to do any of those things to complete the tasks at hand, but SHE DID.
And she certainly did not have to drive to Gretna, VA on a Saturday night, stand for hours, in the rain, to pay her respects to our family at family visitation but SHE DID.
It is for these reasons and so many more that make Claire a DAISY Nurse.
When we entered his room Claire would always welcome us with a big smile (yes, you could see it even from behind her mask), and a hello, as though she was delighted to see us, and never an added burden. Her greetings alone made us feel that she cared for us, as well as my nephew. Claire was so patient and kind. She answered all our questions with such knowledgeable answers that were so sincerely worded.
She sacrificed her needs to care for him. One day, I saw her enter the breakroom with a sandwich and only a mere five minutes later, she entered my nephew’s room. I questioned her and said, "You couldn’t have possibly eaten your sandwich that quickly.” She said, “I had enough of it.” And quickly dismissed my concern for her nourishment to focus 100% of her time on my nephew.
There were numerous times that his IV pumps would alarm while I or other family members were beside of the pumps. Instead of interrupting our precious moments with him, she would do acrobatics using one arm and one leg to hang another bag. When asked, “Do you need me to move?” She replied, “No, I can get to it without a problem.”
My nephew had long locks of curls that he loved and was so proud of. One evening when we entered his room, Claire was washing those locks and combing out debris with a fine-tooth comb…to make him look more like “our” young man.
You see, I have been a nurse myself for over 28 years and the compassion, kindness, and genuine care Claire provided are traits of an exemplary nurse. She didn’t have to do any of those things to complete the tasks at hand, but SHE DID.
And she certainly did not have to drive to Gretna, VA on a Saturday night, stand for hours, in the rain, to pay her respects to our family at family visitation but SHE DID.
It is for these reasons and so many more that make Claire a DAISY Nurse.