My mother, who is 91, was a patient during the COVID-19 crisis, and visitation was not allowed. She was also diagnosed with Covid. During this time our family was extremely anxious as our mother was not doing well and had periods of confusion. Her isolation made it difficult to communicate or understand what the staff was saying to her. She was unable to utilize her iPad to communicate with us using Facebook Messenger due to her condition. I nor my family had seen our mother in over two weeks, and while the nurses did a good job communicating with us, we missed her very much. Even phone calls were not going well, as my mother could not hear us well.

One evening, I received a call from the nurse telling me she was going to FaceTime with me. I was so excited and this meant so very much to me. I had a great conversation with my mother and the nurse told me she would come back the next day and assist my mother again. The very next day, that is exactly what she did. I cannot express how much this made me and my family feel. This nurse took the time to stop and communicate with us, allowing us to actually see our mother. As a nurse, I have never appreciated the impact of having family at the bedside. I have first-hand knowledge of this and recognize the importance of the family's presence. As a family member, It feels so horrible to be isolated from your family, and for the patient, it must be torture as well. I will never forget how this nurse's actions made me feel.

While she began the utilization of FaceTime with us, we had other moments that impacted us. Another staff member went out and bought my mother a charger for her iPad. She wanted my mother to be able to stay connected to her family and refused to let us pay her for it. While in the ICU, her new ICU nurse recognized how distraught our family was over my mother's deteriorating condition, and she gowned up and FaceTimed with our entire family, holding the device so my mother could communicate and see us. Yet again, another staff member stepped in and became another angel who called me to FaceTime on multiple nights and handed my mother her own phone, and instructed her to take as long as she needed to talk with me.

These nurses made a situation so difficult so much more bearable. I will never forget their actions and will respect them even more.