Kristen DeSantis
May 2023
Kristen
DeSantis
,
BSN, RN
Critical Care
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite
Atlanta
,
GA
United States
She was such a strong, reassuring presence-she kept me sane even though this was one of the worst nights of my life.
My grandson was life-flighted from Macon, GA in the early morning hours after exhibiting distressing neurological symptoms. After intake at the ER and eventual admission, he was transferred to his room. After a very long ordeal, he appeared to be resting peacefully. Kristen recognized, from my daughter's description of his normal demeanor, that something was not right with my grandson. She diligently checked him for pain response and pupil dilation and recognized when he began to go off the rails. She got on the phone and forced the urgency of the issue, which resulted in him going into surgery to have a drain installed. Kristen’s judgment, attention to detail, fearless dedication, and forceful professionalism are the reasons why my grandson went home alive.
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Kristen saved my 14-month-old son's life. My healthy baby woke up with a sudden onset of frightening neurological symptoms. We went to our local ER and were soon sent to CHOA via helicopter to see neurosurgery. We spent multiple hours in the ER, the baby became increasingly sleepy and lethargic. I knew in my gut something was wrong but didn't know what to say. His vitals looked stable and he looked like he was peacefully napping but something was not right. Hours later, we were assigned a room and this amazing nurse.
Kristen immediately did a thorough head-to-toe assessment and confirmed my suspicions that "something wasn't right". From there, she devoted all of her time to constant, thorough neurological exams. Kristen was in constant contact with the neurosurgeon. We both knew something was seriously wrong and she would NOT let up until something was done. Because of her constant exams, she was able to establish a change in his neurological status (without them, it would've just looked as if he was asleep).
As time passed, his pupils became pinpoints and he became completely unresponsive to painful stimuli (but looked hemodynamically stable on the monitors-without her, this would have been missed completely). Kristen advocated for us, non-stop, all the way to the OR where they placed an emergency EVD. I have never seen a nurse be so diligent. She was also extremely competent, and able to talk me through everything that was happening. I was alone and far from home-she came with me to the OR, and waited with me while the baby had his procedure. She was such a strong, reassuring presence-she kept me sane even though this was one of the worst nights of my life. I felt safe knowing that Kristen was championing for me and my child the entire time. She offered to call and update the rest of my family so I didn't have to. She let me cry and reassured me. She listened to me ramble. She had a full patient load and had been working almost 12 hours and still gave me her full attention-she never made me feel like I was a burden.
Kristen was our guardian angel that night. The baby came out of surgery, instantly better. She was able to see the fruits of her labor in the form of a rambunctious, wily toddler- a far cry from the limp and fading child he was before surgery. I had my son back. She did that. She listened to me, trusted me, and was our relentless champion. We will never forget what she did for us that night.
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Kristen saved my 14-month-old son's life. My healthy baby woke up with a sudden onset of frightening neurological symptoms. We went to our local ER and were soon sent to CHOA via helicopter to see neurosurgery. We spent multiple hours in the ER, the baby became increasingly sleepy and lethargic. I knew in my gut something was wrong but didn't know what to say. His vitals looked stable and he looked like he was peacefully napping but something was not right. Hours later, we were assigned a room and this amazing nurse.
Kristen immediately did a thorough head-to-toe assessment and confirmed my suspicions that "something wasn't right". From there, she devoted all of her time to constant, thorough neurological exams. Kristen was in constant contact with the neurosurgeon. We both knew something was seriously wrong and she would NOT let up until something was done. Because of her constant exams, she was able to establish a change in his neurological status (without them, it would've just looked as if he was asleep).
As time passed, his pupils became pinpoints and he became completely unresponsive to painful stimuli (but looked hemodynamically stable on the monitors-without her, this would have been missed completely). Kristen advocated for us, non-stop, all the way to the OR where they placed an emergency EVD. I have never seen a nurse be so diligent. She was also extremely competent, and able to talk me through everything that was happening. I was alone and far from home-she came with me to the OR, and waited with me while the baby had his procedure. She was such a strong, reassuring presence-she kept me sane even though this was one of the worst nights of my life. I felt safe knowing that Kristen was championing for me and my child the entire time. She offered to call and update the rest of my family so I didn't have to. She let me cry and reassured me. She listened to me ramble. She had a full patient load and had been working almost 12 hours and still gave me her full attention-she never made me feel like I was a burden.
Kristen was our guardian angel that night. The baby came out of surgery, instantly better. She was able to see the fruits of her labor in the form of a rambunctious, wily toddler- a far cry from the limp and fading child he was before surgery. I had my son back. She did that. She listened to me, trusted me, and was our relentless champion. We will never forget what she did for us that night.