We would like to recognize Claire Modic for her exceptional delivery of compassionate care. Earlier this year, a patient arrived at the hospital with a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. This particular patient had an existing DNR and was planned to discharge to home hospice. During the patient's stay, they deteriorated quickly, with increasing oxygen needs, support from our rapid response team, and admission to the ICU, this quickly became a challenging case. The patient did not want any interventions, was visibly struggling to breathe, and became very uncomfortable.

When the patient arrived in the ICU, Claire never left his side. What stood out was Claire's quick ability to recognize the patient's condition, and she began advocating to make his last moments comfortable. She made suggestions to the team for sedation and called his daughter on speaker phone so they could have a little more time together and say any last words. Claire never left him alone during the whole process. After the patient passed, she stayed at his side, knowing his daughter was on her way. She remained holding his hand in an effort to retain some warmth for his daughter to arrive.

Saying goodbye is never easy, and when it happens unexpectedly without family support, it makes for an extremely emotional experience. Claire's compassionate heart and caring nature brought the most comfort possible to her patient.