Today is exactly 1 month since my beloved brother passed away. I meant to send this recognition sooner, but I needed some time to process everything and make sure I capture everything. My brother was in this Gottlieb unit twice recently in November when he recovered from his first round of COVID and came back mid-December when he lost his fight. This recognition would come directly from him! When he praised Agata during his first stay, he used to make notes about all the nurses helping him every day, but ones for Agata stood out. She always brought her genuine smile to brighten up a gloomy fall day. My brother wrote how he was literally waiting for her shift to start. He stressed how much empathy and dedication she had.
On top of all the professional duties that all department nurses were so good at to make him feel better, Agata always took a few minutes to stop and listen and provide hope for recovery. He never felt rushed, even at most crazy unit times. Agata always knew how to pause to make sure her patients knew she was there for them. That's per my brother's notes...And then the 2nd stay came when he was not able to see Agata and her professional attitude. When he was transferred to this unit, he had already been sedated and was getting sicker every day. That's when I came and experienced Agata’s professionalism first hand. I was hoping to visit my brother and read him a book "Miracle"- He gave it to me several years ago when I was going through some challenging times, and I knew this book would give him strength to fight. Unfortunately, due to COVID, I was only able to read that book through the window in a hallway. Many nurses came and went, but Agata stopped and asked. When she heard the story, she took it inside the room, read my dedication to my unconscious brother, and left it under his hand! That simple gesture meant so much to us!  Although it didn't cure my brother, he passed away peacefully, and gave us some peace knowing he was cared for by an angel named Agata, who was crying with all of us on that day. That's when I told her and repeat it here: "Agata don't fix your mind on lives that slipped away - think PROUDLY of all the countless people you helped recover! (like my brother in November)  My family, and I'm sure many others, are forever grateful for everything you do to make sure patients and their families feel better even in the most difficult times. Thank you.