December 2025
Elizabeth
Lawson
,
RN
5700 Pediatric ICU
Loma Linda University Children's Hospital
Loma Linda
,
CA
United States
Bea knew that seeing their child in the morgue would be very difficult, so she arranged with dispatch to bring the patient into an empty room.
| Elizabeth” Bea” Lawson is the Charge Nurse for Pediatric ICU Unit 5700. We deal with difficult situations daily, and Bea is always kind, patient, and empathetic. These traits were exemplified recently after a patient’s passing. A patient came in as a “Doe” trauma, and it took some time to identify him. After identification, it was difficult to find the family. Unfortunately, this patient succumbed to his injuries, and in the interim, he was sent to the morgue. When the family was identified, they spoke with Bea on the phone, and Bea let them know they could see their child to say goodbye in our unit. Bea knew that seeing their child in the morgue would be very difficult, so she arranged with dispatch to bring the patient into an empty room. Bea ensured the patient was presentable to the family and met the mother in the hallway of our unit. On the walk to the room, the mother began breaking down and asked Bea to stay with her in the room while she grieved. Despite the emotional difficulties this presents, Bea, out of the continued and unending kindness of her heart, agreed to stay with the mother. The family was given time and a safe place to grieve their loss. This family may not know all of the work that went into ensuring this moment would be as minimally traumatic as possible, but the rest of us working that day saw this kind deed. I appreciate Bea’s dedication to our unit and our patient population. This job isn’t easy, but having a Charge Nurse represents what it is to be an ICU nurse is truly inspiring. |