March 2023
Madison
Krause
,
BSN, RN
Pediatric Intensive Care
Sanford Medical Center - Fargo
Fargo
,
ND
United States
she unknowingly provided the hope and peace of mind I needed to stay strong for my son. She was effortlessly positive and gave me the silent comfort that things would be okay.
My son was intubated at Trinity Health in Minot and flown to the PICU at Sanford Health in Fargo in the early morning hours one day in March. He was in critical condition and the PICU team was awaiting our arrival in the hallway when we arrived. While all of our doctors, nurses, and ancillary staff were wonderful, Maddie, RN was exceptional.
We were fortunate to have her as our nurse for four days and I am so thankful for each and every second that she cared for my son. She was kind, compassionate, and knowledgeable. There wasn’t a minute that went by that she didn’t have eyes on my son. As soon as his arms started waving, she was at his bedside to soothe him back to comfort. She rubbed his head to calm him more times than I can count, and she always talked to him as though he was awake and could respond. She was genuinely interested in the infant he was prior to his illness and was eager to see him healthy.
On one occasion, I had asked if she would mind staying with him while I ran to the cafeteria to grab food. She happily obliged and when I returned, she was sitting next to his crib reading him a book. While she could’ve easily sat at her workstation catching up on charting, she chose to spend those precious minutes reading to my intubated son. For that, I will forever be thankful.
Working in the healthcare field myself, I understand the importance of empathetic, compassionate care. However, it wasn’t until I watched Maddie care for my son that I realized the true power an extraordinary nurse could have on their patients and families. In the moments that we were blessed to have Maddie on our team, she unknowingly provided the hope and peace of mind I needed to stay strong for my son. She was effortlessly positive and gave me the silent comfort that things would be okay. She was the strength I needed until my husband could get things in order at home and accompany me at the hospital days later.
I truly believe that my son was placed in Maddie’s care for a reason and I am forever thankful for every second she spent assisting in saving my son’s life. She deserves to be recognized and know just how important she was to us in the scariest moments of our lives.
We were fortunate to have her as our nurse for four days and I am so thankful for each and every second that she cared for my son. She was kind, compassionate, and knowledgeable. There wasn’t a minute that went by that she didn’t have eyes on my son. As soon as his arms started waving, she was at his bedside to soothe him back to comfort. She rubbed his head to calm him more times than I can count, and she always talked to him as though he was awake and could respond. She was genuinely interested in the infant he was prior to his illness and was eager to see him healthy.
On one occasion, I had asked if she would mind staying with him while I ran to the cafeteria to grab food. She happily obliged and when I returned, she was sitting next to his crib reading him a book. While she could’ve easily sat at her workstation catching up on charting, she chose to spend those precious minutes reading to my intubated son. For that, I will forever be thankful.
Working in the healthcare field myself, I understand the importance of empathetic, compassionate care. However, it wasn’t until I watched Maddie care for my son that I realized the true power an extraordinary nurse could have on their patients and families. In the moments that we were blessed to have Maddie on our team, she unknowingly provided the hope and peace of mind I needed to stay strong for my son. She was effortlessly positive and gave me the silent comfort that things would be okay. She was the strength I needed until my husband could get things in order at home and accompany me at the hospital days later.
I truly believe that my son was placed in Maddie’s care for a reason and I am forever thankful for every second she spent assisting in saving my son’s life. She deserves to be recognized and know just how important she was to us in the scariest moments of our lives.