Allison Boone
August 2023
Allison
Boone
,
RN
Bone Marrow Transplant
Indiana University Health - University Hospital
Indianapolis
,
IN
United States
Allison was a tireless advocate for my care and well-being, even when I was not her patient, not on her unit, or she was not working.
To get the basics out of the way, Allison is absolutely a "good nurse" and really, the whole BMT unit is staffed with them. The most important thing to me in a nurse is skill in the medical aspects and good communication, both of which Allison excelled at. However, she went above and beyond. Allison gave her personal contact info to my wife and was always available to answer questions. She specifically requested to be my nurse over multiple days because we already had a great relationship, including on my transfusion day, where it was extra comforting to have someone I knew and trusted there during that uncomfortable procedure. A few days after my stem cell transfusion, I was in pretty stable condition and the bed was needed on the BMT unit, so I was transferred to a lower-acuity unit in the hospital. However, after a few more days, I was not doing so well. We later learned that I had developed sepsis, but at the time all I knew was that I felt terrible, with a high fever and low blood pressure. My wife contacted Allison asking for help. We did not know what to do. Allison, on her day off, called up the rapid response nurse and changed the course of my treatment. The rapid response team determined that I needed higher acuity care, and I ended up in the ICU for a day while I was stabilized. Allison picked up an extra shift that evening and came in early just to check on me. Allison continued to advocate for me after I was stabilized and left the ICU. Luckily there was a bed available in another transplant-appropriate unit in the hospital, 3 East, and once I arrived there, I felt satisfied to stay. But Allison would have got me back up in BMT if we hadn’t told her I was happy not to move again. She has started a discussion on the unit about when it is appropriate to move patients like me, who are currently stable but at high risk of complications. Allison was a tireless advocate for my care and well-being, even when I was not her patient, not on her unit, or she was not working. I am so thankful to have had her in my corner.