You truly have an angel at St. Luke's Monroe, and her name is Eileen Noelle.

My 85-year-old father was admitted to the ER at St. Luke's. He was unconscious but breathing on his own. I have to backpedal here for a moment to give you a little history on my dad. He had a terrible fall about two years ago in which he miraculously survived, but was then forced to reside at a care facility due to the nature of his injuries. He had been bounced back and forth to a different ER so many times that he decided he wanted a Do Not Resuscitate order.

Almost exactly one year prior to my father going to St. Luke's, he had been rushed to that other ER again, where they violated his DNR and put him on a ventilator. My mother and I rushed to the hospital to try to make things right, only to learn that we would have to make the call to take him off the ventilator, which he was never supposed to be on in the first place. We said our goodbyes to him that night, which was beyond traumatic. But things got worse when the doctor went to pull the tube, and my father literally spat it out and started talking. For real. No doctor or nurse had warned us that this could happen, so we were mortified by what we had just witnessed.

Fast forward to the day my dad was found “unresponsive” and was sent to St Lukes ER. His nurse called my mom to apprise her of his condition. Given what we had just been through a year earlier, my mom asked if the nurse could please find a room for my dad, as he had already spent entirely too much time in emergency rooms. It was just too painful to see him like that, but she would be there the next morning.

The last phone call from his nurse was to let my mom know she had found a room for him, and he was leaving the ER. What she didn’t tell my mom was that she had to fight to find him a room, as the hospital was so full. She also didn’t tell her that she requested the new nurse to check on him every 30 minutes. She did not want him to pass alone.

Little did we know he would leave us that night for good. The guilt and sadness we felt at not being with him at the end were unbearable. We thought he was alone.

We soon learned that was not the case, as he had an angel with him all along. Her name is Eileen Noelle. She was able to provide me with his last hours, which is how I know how far she extended herself for him. She even shared a hilarious story with me wherein my dad gasped so loudly at one point that it startled his new nurse enough that she wet herself. There is no better emotion than laughter through tears.

But most importantly, Eileen gave my family and me the peace and comfort we were desperately seeking. Her compassion is overwhelming. She is a natural nurse in every sense. Bright, inquisitive, devoted, and caring, Eileen is a considerable asset to St. Luke's. She is what all nurses should aspire to be.

 Eileen Noelle is a treasure, and my family will always hold her close to our hearts. We strongly believe she deserves recognition for her excellence.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.