Samantha Petersen
September 2024
Samantha
Petersen
,
Senior Staff Nurse
Pediatrics
NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island
Mineola
,
NY
United States
I can't even tell you how happy and special I felt to have someone care so much about me in the way Sam did!!
This year, I was at my lowest mentally. I ended up in the Pediatric ICU which is a scary place for an 18 year old or anyone to be! But what Sam did for me each night is something I will never forget.
From the very beginning, she made me feel so comfortable and definitely knew how to uplift my spirits.
My parents only stayed with me during the day so at night I was more lonely & my emotions were stronger. But luckily I was privileged to meet the best night nurse!
I was Sam's only patient due to how critical I was but instead of taking advantage of the free time she had in between assessments/meds she had for me she did the exact opposite. She spent most of the time during her shifts in my room. She would color with me, listen/sing to music, talk to me like a friend, provide emotional support as I cried, and overall went above and beyond to keep me calm and distracted from my situation.
Each morning I would wake up to a new decoration/poster in my room that she made and hung up while I was sleeping. Waking up and remembering you're in a hospital is something no one should experience but then looking up to the wall and seeing all these uplifting quotes/decorations changed my whole attitude towards the day.
She also would constantly check in on how I was doing with my day nurse. Like common! She isn't even at work and she's still checking in on me when there are many other things she could be doing! There was 1 day where I had to go through some scary stuff. I was so excited to tell Sam about how brave I was, BUT before I could even tell her.... as soon as her shift started, she ran inside my room and, with the biggest smile on her face, handed me a new fuzzy blanket (I still sleep with every night) & a king size Kitkat bar that she bought for me because she was already in contact with my day nurse about how amazing I did. I can't even tell you how happy and special I felt to have someone care so much about me in the way Sam did!!
I haven't seen her since my hospital stay and I would love to be able to show her my gratitude by handing her this special award!! I ask from the bottom of my heart to allow me to hand her this extraordinary award!!
From the very beginning, she made me feel so comfortable and definitely knew how to uplift my spirits.
My parents only stayed with me during the day so at night I was more lonely & my emotions were stronger. But luckily I was privileged to meet the best night nurse!
I was Sam's only patient due to how critical I was but instead of taking advantage of the free time she had in between assessments/meds she had for me she did the exact opposite. She spent most of the time during her shifts in my room. She would color with me, listen/sing to music, talk to me like a friend, provide emotional support as I cried, and overall went above and beyond to keep me calm and distracted from my situation.
Each morning I would wake up to a new decoration/poster in my room that she made and hung up while I was sleeping. Waking up and remembering you're in a hospital is something no one should experience but then looking up to the wall and seeing all these uplifting quotes/decorations changed my whole attitude towards the day.
She also would constantly check in on how I was doing with my day nurse. Like common! She isn't even at work and she's still checking in on me when there are many other things she could be doing! There was 1 day where I had to go through some scary stuff. I was so excited to tell Sam about how brave I was, BUT before I could even tell her.... as soon as her shift started, she ran inside my room and, with the biggest smile on her face, handed me a new fuzzy blanket (I still sleep with every night) & a king size Kitkat bar that she bought for me because she was already in contact with my day nurse about how amazing I did. I can't even tell you how happy and special I felt to have someone care so much about me in the way Sam did!!
I haven't seen her since my hospital stay and I would love to be able to show her my gratitude by handing her this special award!! I ask from the bottom of my heart to allow me to hand her this extraordinary award!!