When caring for a critically ill patient in the Surgery Trauma Intensive Care Unit, the patient expressed concern as his wife was not answering the phone. His wife felt ill the day of his scheduled procedure and could not accompany him, so he came alone. He had other family members try to reach her as well, to no avail.

The patient’s sister went to do a well check on the wife at the Doorways. She found the wife down with a Glasgow Coma Score of three and in need of urgent care. The wife was rushed to the hospital, and her course of events led her to the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit. Once there, it was determined that her prognosis was poor.

Her husband, Tracey’s patient, was notified and, as one can imagine, was in terrible grief. Tracey immediately began to inquire about what could be done to help this patient see his wife. Normally, in an ICU, we do not transport patients to visit others when their own condition is critical. In this circumstance, Tracey took a moment to empathize and discern how we could facilitate the visit. She advocated to providers and ensured additional medications to maintain his blood pressure while he was off the unit.

Tracey did not give up. She safely facilitated a visit to the NSICU and on the second night as well. Facilitating these visits was not only what this patient needed, but it was the right thing to do.

Because of the precedent, the patient was able to visit his wife a few more times after he transferred to the step-down floor. Even more significantly, the patient's wife ultimately succumbed to her illness. Because of Tracey, he was able to spend time with her in her last moments of life. This story is a perfect example of STAR and DAISY values. I cannot say enough about Tracey and the work she does to care for our patients every day. In a situation with many unfortunate circumstances, she went the extra mile.