Let me begin by saying that all my nurses during my eight-day stay were excellent and a credit to their profession and Memorial Hospital. I came to Memorial on Friday for a heart Stent. Plans changed early that morning when Dr. M told me he was unable to do a stent, and I would be staying over the weekend to have bypass surgery on Monday. It was soon thereafter that met Amber. She quickly impressed me with her professional attitude and engaging personality. She checked on me often always asking if there was something that she could do or get for me.

On Sunday night, the night before my surgery, she had an order to give me medication at 9:00 pm if my heart rate was above or below a certain rate (I don’t remember which). She spent 15-20 minutes watching my heart rate until the 9:00 pm deadline. She used this time to talk with me, to keep me in a positive frame of mind for surgery the next morning. She told me that she would be by to check on me one last time before the end of her shift as she would be off for the next several days. I thanked her for her kindness and compassion and told her I hoped she would be my nurse when I returned to this floor after surgery.

After a couple of days in the ICU, I returned to the 6th-floor step-down unit. When the night shift came on duty, Amber walked in. During the next few days, I was pretty helpless, and she and the other nurses did so much to help me recover. During the night I called to ask for help to use the bathroom. She came in, helped me sit up, and stood at the side of the bed where I used the urinal. She explained to me that she would hold my left shoulder so she would know if I started to fall, and she would look away to give me my privacy. Standing in front of me, just to my left with a grip on my left arm and shoulder, I see her turn her head as far as she could to the right. Again, I was impressed with her professionalism, her concern for my safety first, and then for the respect she showed me as I used the urinal.

Things took an unexpected turn on the day I was to be discharged. I developed AFIB, which extended my stay by two more days. During this time, my doctors started me on IV Amiodarone which infiltrated my left arm. At the same time, my IVs began to shut down, necessitating additional new IVs. On my last night in the hospital, the doctors wanted one more blood test. Amber tried to get blood from a couple of my IVs but was unsuccessful, so she started a new one. The new one would not give her blood, so she tried to draw blood directly from my arm, also with no success. Aware I was frustrated and hurting, she told me she would not stick me again and called her lead who came to my room and together they made a plan to have someone try again in the morning, I appreciate her efforts.

Later that evening Amber returned to give me my nighttime medications. She asked if I had walked today, and I told her I had not. She told me she would return after she finished distributing medications if I would like to walk then. I told her I would love to walk. A while later, she opened my door quietly to see if I was awake and asked if I still wanted to walk. I knew she was busy and had other things she could be doing but I said yes. Together, we started down the hallway, now quiet and free of traffic. We walked the hall twice, talking about her children and my children and grandchildren. Near the end of our walk, she commented, “This is the longest post-CABG walk I’ve ever been on.” I thought to myself, "This seemed like a walk with an old friend more than physical therapy with my nurse.” The walk and conversation made me forget about my pain and frustrations. I do not think she knows how much she helped me. I cannot thank her enough.