December 2023
Alexandrea
Johnson
,
BSN, RN
Emergency Department
Mississippi Baptist Medical Center
Jackson
,
MS
United States
She got me some tissues and listened to me, and that meant more than anything else she could do. I cried and talked. She just listened.
Alexandrea showered me with kindness. I was in a lot of pain due to a Kidney Stone. I’m an ER nurse at a children’s hospital, and in the room next to me was a crying child. She could tell there was something wrong with me besides kidney stones. She asked if everything was ok, and I told her that I was an ER nurse and that the night before I had a child die on my shift. Hearing the child crying in the room just brought back a flood of emotions. I apologized, and Alexandrea said, “No, don’t apologize.” She got me some tissues and listened to me, and that meant more than anything else she could do. I cried and talked. She just listened. She didn’t act like she understood. At that point, I just needed someone to listen. I passed the kidney stone in the ER. She was an advocate for pain control and saw that I was comfortable. The main thing I can take away from the experience was her kindness. I will never forget her and the way she made me feel.