Our sister M had been in the neuro ICU for five days when we made the difficult decision to have her ventilator support removed. Before and after the extubation, she received great care from the entire team, who were all thoughtful and supportive of her and us. The next morning we were by our sister’s side, having received a call at 3 am from her night nurse, that her oxygen levels had dropped.

We met Emer soon after the shift change; her interactions with us made it clear from the start that she had both the empathetic and medical skills that great nurses have. She explained every step she was taking and guided us through what we might expect. Her exemplary care shone through every tender touch and gentle concern she showed M. Not only was she taking great care of our sister, but she also checked on us, making sure we were taking any medications we might need and staying hydrated. And she also talked a bit about her family and an upcoming vacation to Ireland so we got a bit of respite from the seriousness of our sister’s condition.

Emer was a thoughtful teacher for another nurse on the shift with less experience, demonstrating attention to detail for the comfort of the patient and confirming aloud steps they needed to take. She did her best to keep M in the ICU until the end, but M had to be moved to a general floor. Emer moved her as swiftly as possible and was there when M took her last breath about two minutes after arriving in the new room. She noticed the sun breaking through the clouds and comforted us on our loss, keeping a human touch in a difficult time. We hugged and thanked her for her generous spirit comforting us through this tremendous loss.​