Brooke was delightful as my husband's nurse during his stay at ESJH. My husband was in the MSICU for many days/nights as he attempted to recover and drain fluid off of his lung from pneumonia and a Strep A infection. It was a very difficult time for all of us as it was unexpected and escalated rather quickly, with his progress being up and down throughout his stay. But Brooke, well, she was a ray of sunshine. Brooke was my husband's nurse for multiple shifts and was by far the best overall. Her practice of taking care of my husband was unmatched, but what really stood out to me was her demeanor and how much she truly cared. There are a couple of things that specifically stuck out to me:

Brooke was very attentive to my husband, but she was also attentive to me while I was with him. I had many questions as I truly felt that knowledge was power in this situation, and I wanted to be educated about what was going on with him. She never hesitated to answer my questions about his status or health and always was gracious to provide any answers that she could. She also made sure that when the physician was rounding outside of his room, he grabbed me so I could be involved each time.

During one of the roundings, she reported that his WBC had doubled which was unusual since they had switched him to a specific antibiotic to fight the Strep A once the culture came back. This was something that she made a point to highlight and bring up because it was definitely not a normal trend with what he had going on. It would remain a mystery as to why for quite some time, but his WBC did not stabilize until after his surgery at EUH when the infectious disease team decided to put him on the strongest antibiotic - penicillin. Without her attention to detail, this could have been missed entirely. What she does matters.

She is an advocate for her patients and their wins are hers. B was able to get up and walk around his room during her shift (with her steady and consistent encouragement). This was the first time since being admitted that he had gotten up out of bed like this. And the pure joy on her face and excitement and pride she felt and genuinely showed us was amazing. She was probably as excited as I was (maybe more). I loved seeing that and feeling her excitement for his win! He did this the next day as well with her, and her joy filled the room. This was probably my very favorite thing about her. Brooke, thank you for being you. Your compassion, spirit, and excitement were evident, and you truly make a difference to those who come in contact with you. We were grateful to have you care for him during your shift(s). Thank you!