My son was admitted for an ileostomy. He went into surgery to have his appendix removed and expected it to be a one-hour operation and to go home that night. He woke up to find that he had been in surgery for 4 hours, and there had been complications due to his appendix bursting. He was told he was not going home anytime soon. He was in so much pain and was upset about what went wrong.  Jackie was our nurse for several days during his 7 day admission. The first 3 days were very rough, trying to get my son's pain level under control, handling the constant vomiting, trying to get him up to walk and pee, worrying about his lack of bowel movements, and managing the concerns and constant questions that my husband and I had.   

Jackie was so caring and compassionate; she never once made us feel like we were interrupting other patients' care or being a nuisance for all the times we pressed the call button (and it was a lot those first few days). She never once made us feel like we were difficult parents and, in fact, took extra time to check in and see how we were doing.   She was calm even when we drilled her with questions.  She was extremely knowledgeable, patient, caring, and kind.  She spent time with us, educating me, my husband, and our son when he was awake.  She cheered him on when he started walking laps on the floor and stopped in to check on him in him and say goodbye on his day of discharge.

For me, there was one moment where she went above and beyond, and that was when she clarified the doctor's order for the tube that was placed up my son's nose into his stomach.  The doctor had ordered the wrong tube, and she was very concerned about having to put him through that ordeal twice, so she escalated the issue to her nursing manager, who supported her in getting further clarification. Getting that tube inserted was very difficult for my son so I was very pleased about all the hoops she jumped through to ensure the correct tube was being ordered.

I believe if my son ever has to go into the hospital again, he won't be afraid.  Her kind heart, compassion, and confidence are all to be commended. Truly, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all that you did for my son and my family.  We will never forget the care and compassion that you gave us during one of our most difficult weeks.  You made a very difficult time bearable.