This past month a 23-year-old female came into the Emergency Room with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and was in critical condition. Billy was the Social Worker this day who went into the room to speak with her father. Billy went above and beyond, realizing that he also has the same insulin pump, and decided to investigate. He then found that the patient’s catheter was kinked which means she was not receiving insulin, leading to dangerously high glucose levels.

The family and medical team were grateful for Billy’s attentiveness and willingness to help. Two days later the patient was more alert and Billy was assigned as her RN Care Coordinator. He visited with the patient and she was “thrilled” and repeatedly said thank you. They felt indebted to Billy for the calm and thorough explanation-calling him her hero. Kudos to Billy for taking extra time to prevent future life-threatening issues for this patient and her insulin pump. Billy took time to explain to the father and the doctors how to use the insulin pump catheter/needle.