Linda Manning was the nurse for my almost 90-year-old dad who had a lithotripsy and stent removal procedure at Whittier PIH. He can’t hear or see well and these procedures, and especially ambulance gurney transports, are very hard on him. His ambulance transport canceled on us at the last minute, and I scrambled to get him there in a private curb to curb wheelchair ambulance, which hurts his back and tailbone. I arrived rattled and my dad arrived in pain. Linda immediately got to work with a team and hoyer lift, carefully getting him into bed and comfortable. Once in bed, Linda and M got him undressed and in a gown which is not easy. She took extra care for the basics like often offering extra pillows and warm blankets. She gave us timely updates and calmed me down. She was kind and spoke up for my dad when various staff came in talking, not realizing Dad couldn’t hear. I’m usually the one that constantly has to remind people, so it was a great relief when Linda helped with that. She was a great advocate for my dad, so when he went into surgery and I had to leave to be with my mom, I felt great relief and confidence that Linda would keep me informed and take care of Dad.

Pick up after the procedure was tough because the private company would only meet at the front curb and my 93-year-old mom at home was having problems and I couldn’t get back to the hospital to help. Linda was so patient, calling me and taking my calls, back and forth. She helped me make the many calls to the transport company to coordinate the pickup (they were not very cooperative about adjusting the pick-up time a little later). In the end, Linda got him dressed, in the wheelchair, and to the curb (I’m sure with the help of an excellent team) and he was able to be picked up on time. I know a lot of what I said above is “standard procedure”, but Linda was just more than extra kind and patient through it all.

My dad has been in and out of the hospital many times over the years and the staff are usually nice, but Linda went over and above making us feel like we were her only concern and I know she had other patients and duties. I was tired and Dad was grumpy and didn’t want to be there of course, but somehow, she made us feel better, calmer, informed, and very cared for. Because of Linda, we had about as stress-free of a procedure day as could be and I am beyond grateful to her.