6 West- Medical ICU at UofL Hospital
May 2024
6 West- Medical ICU
at UofL Hospital
UofL Health- UofL Hospital
Louisville
,
KY
United States
Rachel Huster, MSN,RN,CCRN
Jessica Bodenbender, BSN, RN, CCRN
Tina Howard, RN
Amanda Lark, BSN, RN
Garrett Ross, RT
Nick Vogelpohl, RT
John Abel, Chaplain
Kirt Hodges, Chaplain
Dr. rer.nat. Kerestin Knopf
Dr. Kim Pate
Dr. Esther Bak
Jessica Heinz, MT-BC

 

 

 

MICU staff cared for a 30-year-old patient with terminal breast cancer complicated by COVID and resp failure. She had recently been engaged prior to her admission. She was a patient on the MICU for three months until her passing. During that time, she was off and on the vent multiple times and eventually became trapped. Her family was very involved with her care and were a constant presence at her bedside. In May, it became evident that she was terminally ill, and one of her last wishes was to be married to her longtime fiancée. In May, her wish came to fruition. After much preparation and planning, in a full wedding gown with flowers, hair, nails, and makeup done, she married her fiancée in the MICU waiting room. The waiting room was decorated with flowers and tulle. Her entire family, including her 9-year-old son, participated in the ceremony. So many staff members went above and beyond their everyday duties to make this happen. MICU nursing staff, MICU resident, respiratory therapist, palliative care team, and the music therapist were instrumental in making this day a huge success. Her respiratory status was fragile so for many days prior to the ceremony, nursing, along with respiratory practiced and attempted to increase her ability to tolerate being off the vent and being transferred/ sitting in the cardiac chair so that she might make the trip to the makeshift wedding chapel otherwise known as the MICU waiting room. Also, during her extended stay the MICU nursing staff purchased gifts and decorations to celebrate her son turning 9. These kind gestures are not surprising as the MICU staff often goes above expectations to meet patients' needs and wishes. Her mom was very grateful and often placed DAISY Award nominations to acknowledge the exceptional care that her daughter received in the months that she was a patient cared for by the MICU staff. It can't go without notice that during this period of time, MICU had recently gone through some staffing challenges but was still able to maintain such a compassionate, caring environment for this terminally ill patient and her family.