It’s rare for an ED nurse to have the opportunity to care for hospice patients during their transition of life. Recently, Nou went above and beyond for a patient and her family, in a way that brought staff to tears. In a time of darkness in this patient's family, she was a ray of sunshine that provided warmth, love, and support. Here is her story.

A 39-year-old female came to our emergency department for primary complaints of increased nausea and weakness. Upon arrival, it was noted the patient was an end-stage cancer patient on hospice. As we began to get lab results it was very evident that the patient was very close to death, however, the patient's family decided to overturn the patient's initial POLST and make her full code. After this change was made, aggressive efforts had to be put in place to help care for the patient. This was not something that was easily done. The patient was in a lot of pain and was so weak she was only able to cry out and moan in pain.

Nou stayed by her side the entire time. When it was time for this patient to get a foley catheter inserted, the patient could not tolerate it due to painful tumors. She continuously advocated for this patient as she did not want her to suffer unnecessary pain and asked for our ER doctor to contact urology and was the voice of this patient. When more invasive measures were performed due to her declining state, it was evident that the patient was suffering. The patient's family remained bedside with her, fearful that this was the beginning of her transition of life, and very clearly afraid of losing someone they loved dearly. Nou went above and beyond in explaining every step of the way what was happening and helped the family through difficult decisions, including the family's decision to stop all treatment.

Nou did everything she could to get this patient home, so she could pass alongside her family and loved ones. She called the impatient doctor and advocated for the patient's wishes to pass on in her own home. It should be known that the patient lost her hospice the moment she was admitted to the hospital, yet Nou called the hospice team and was able to get them to take the patient back due to the severity of the situation. She even arranged so a nurse would be at the patient's home close to her arrival from the hospital. Nou arranged an ambulance ride for the patient and expressed the importance of arriving promptly. Nou prepared the family for the patient's death. This is never an easy part of our job as a nurse, and Nou did it in the kindest, most gentle, and eloquent way possible. She stayed past the end of her shift to ensure that her patient and their family had all the support that they needed during this difficult time. She took the time to give the patient a bed bath so that the family did not have to worry about anything other than loving her. 

Nou not only deserves this award, but she is also the type of nurse that this award was made for. Thank you and Congratulations!