August 2023
Emily
Heitkamp
,
BSN, RN
5 North
Hunterdon Medical Center
Flemington
,
NJ
United States
She stood by him, cared for him, cleaned him up, and waited by his side with my mother and us until he was walked out by the funeral home under the American Flag
My father unexpectedly passed away in January. (He was a patient on 5 North). Although he has had many medical issues over the past many years he always fought back and made it through...until this time. He arrived at the hospital that Friday and passed away 2 days later on Sunday. The entire experience of the few days he was at HMC was a whirlwind of fear, sadness, and every emotion you can think of for our family. The one constant shining star throughout our experience was his night nurse, Emily.
She always came into the room with a gentle smile filled with compassion and knowledge to not only care for my Dad but also help ease the questions and fear we had, especially my Mom, knowing these were my father’s last days.
Most importantly, the morning my Dad passed away, she was right there by his side, along with my Mom, caring for him with such gentleness. Those next few hours, even though her shift was over and she probably wanted to get home after a long, sad shift, she stayed. She stayed after her scheduled hours, taking her own time to clean my father up so he could lie there cleanly and peacefully as we all said our final goodbyes one last time. This may seem like just ordinary 'nurse care' to people in the medical field. But, to a grieving family, this has stuck with us, and we still speak of Emily lovingly six months later.
You see, during my father’s decline, he always made my Mom promise him one thing. That she would not let him lose his dignity. In these circumstances, as a family, you feel like you've lost control of such an important promise. But Emily gave that to my Dad. She stood by him, cared for him, cleaned him up, and waited by his side with my mother and us until he was walked out by the funeral home under the American Flag (as he was a Purple Heart veteran of the Vietnam War). We can never repay her, nor may she realize what an impact she has made. So when I found out about this DAISY Award, I felt compelled to try and find her and give her the credit she is due for being an exceptional nurse at HMC. Emily, from the bottom of our hearts, we are so thankful for you, and we know our Dad would be so appreciative, too.
Note: This is Emily's 2nd DAISY Award!
She always came into the room with a gentle smile filled with compassion and knowledge to not only care for my Dad but also help ease the questions and fear we had, especially my Mom, knowing these were my father’s last days.
Most importantly, the morning my Dad passed away, she was right there by his side, along with my Mom, caring for him with such gentleness. Those next few hours, even though her shift was over and she probably wanted to get home after a long, sad shift, she stayed. She stayed after her scheduled hours, taking her own time to clean my father up so he could lie there cleanly and peacefully as we all said our final goodbyes one last time. This may seem like just ordinary 'nurse care' to people in the medical field. But, to a grieving family, this has stuck with us, and we still speak of Emily lovingly six months later.
You see, during my father’s decline, he always made my Mom promise him one thing. That she would not let him lose his dignity. In these circumstances, as a family, you feel like you've lost control of such an important promise. But Emily gave that to my Dad. She stood by him, cared for him, cleaned him up, and waited by his side with my mother and us until he was walked out by the funeral home under the American Flag (as he was a Purple Heart veteran of the Vietnam War). We can never repay her, nor may she realize what an impact she has made. So when I found out about this DAISY Award, I felt compelled to try and find her and give her the credit she is due for being an exceptional nurse at HMC. Emily, from the bottom of our hearts, we are so thankful for you, and we know our Dad would be so appreciative, too.
Note: This is Emily's 2nd DAISY Award!