We had a patient on the unit who was not doing well. She and her family made the difficult decision to make her an AND. On the day that the patient began to decline, her daughter was not at the bedside. This patient and her daughter had been having a difficult time making the decision to allow natural death but finally chose to put it in place.

When the patient began to decline, Andrea was at the bedside talking to the patient, monitoring her vitals, and informing the provider. I let Andrea know that I would call the daughter. I called the patient's daughter and asked her to come back to the hospital. She immediately asked, "Is Andrea there?" I told her, "Yes, she is in the room with your mom." She stated, "Tell her I am about to call the room." I went to make sure Andrea was still in the room. She was at the nurses' station, so she immediately went to the patient's room, where the cell phone was ringing.

Andrea showed so much kindness, compassion, and love to the mother and daughter by talking to them both as the daughter spoke to her mom. Andrea encouraged her to keep talking to her mom, and she let her know when her mom smiled or when a tear fell from her eyes. Andrea created a moment that the daughter will forever cherish because she was able to form a bond of kindness and compassion through the lens of her nursing care. We never know when the seeds of kindness that we plant will receive the water to grow. It was truly a blessing to watch and listen to the interaction between Andrea and the daughter. The tenderness and caring demeanor Andrea displayed as the mom took her last breath on the phone was filled with empathy and sensitivity. Her daughter was extremely appreciative of the care that Andrea showed to her and her mother.