Ashley Prunty
April 2023
Ashley
Prunty
,
BSN, RN
Heart Center
St. Louis Children's Hospital
St. Louis
,
MO
United States
It came time to take H off ECMO and Ashley fought tooth and nail for us her parent to hold her for the first time in 54 days.
Ashley always cared for our daughter when she was alive in the heart center. She was a very difficult case. We had previously lost our son in 2021 to premature birth so the thought of losing another baby was a thought we never wanted to know. Ashley was kind and funny and took care of us just as much as she took care of our sweet H. H was on ECMO for the majority of her life which required two nurses for her care. We asked if we could request Ashley to be one of our primary nurses while H was in the hospital and she of course agreed.
It came time to take H off ECMO and Ashley fought tooth and nail for us her parent to hold her for the first time in 54 days. She talked to 4 doctors, 3 perfusionists, the charge nurse as well as the surgical team to make this happen. As a mother one of the things you wish you could do is make your child feel better and holding them can make that happen. I didn't get to hold my baby for 54 days and before she was taken off ECMO I got to spend an entire hour holding my girl before she went back into surgery that night. Ashley then picked up a shift knowing our girl was coming off of ECMO. She was not scheduled. She chose to come in on her day off to possibly spend those most critical hours with H keeping her safe. H then struggled the next morning; her blood pressure was dropping and she was not doing well. She was septic and her heart was struggling. Ashley stayed with our H and never left her side until we got to the hospital.
Ashley stayed past her shift to care for our girl. She loved H; she was an important patient to her. Her kindness and the grace she gave us will never be forgotten. She taught me a lesson in life I am so grateful to have learned. Because of Ashley, I know how I want to treat patients’ families. I know how I want to be that kind of support system for them. Ashley was more than a nurse. Ashley was a friend to us when H was in the hospital. She was a therapist. She was an advocate for H. She listened, she heard, and she was there. She is a leader, a follower, and an instructor.
It came time to take H off ECMO and Ashley fought tooth and nail for us her parent to hold her for the first time in 54 days. She talked to 4 doctors, 3 perfusionists, the charge nurse as well as the surgical team to make this happen. As a mother one of the things you wish you could do is make your child feel better and holding them can make that happen. I didn't get to hold my baby for 54 days and before she was taken off ECMO I got to spend an entire hour holding my girl before she went back into surgery that night. Ashley then picked up a shift knowing our girl was coming off of ECMO. She was not scheduled. She chose to come in on her day off to possibly spend those most critical hours with H keeping her safe. H then struggled the next morning; her blood pressure was dropping and she was not doing well. She was septic and her heart was struggling. Ashley stayed with our H and never left her side until we got to the hospital.
Ashley stayed past her shift to care for our girl. She loved H; she was an important patient to her. Her kindness and the grace she gave us will never be forgotten. She taught me a lesson in life I am so grateful to have learned. Because of Ashley, I know how I want to treat patients’ families. I know how I want to be that kind of support system for them. Ashley was more than a nurse. Ashley was a friend to us when H was in the hospital. She was a therapist. She was an advocate for H. She listened, she heard, and she was there. She is a leader, a follower, and an instructor.