Brenda Dlodlo
May 2026
Brenda
Dlodlo
,
RN
I.C.U.
Kettering General Hospital
Northamptonshire
United Kingdom
Nothing was too much trouble for her, and she was one of the people who saved my life.
I was admitted to Kettering ICU; I required intensive care due to mitral valve failure, and breathing difficulty resulted in full support and induced coma. Many people cared for me, but due to a semi-conscious state, I have a vivid recollection of nurse Brenda. She was exceptional, warm, and considerate. Nothing was too much trouble for her, and she was one of the people who saved my life.
***
My stepfather, T, was an emergency admission to the ITU following an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Brenda Dlodlo was T's nurse in the days proceeding.
Brenda is not a person who looks for thanks, or praise. She is just quietly excellent, someone who gives everything she does, 100%. So, I anticipate how overwhelmed she will be by this nomination, but this is the only way I know how to thank her appropriately and proportionately for what she did for not only T, but our family too at this devastating time. Brenda is the one incredible, wonderful memory we will cherish of T's passing.
Brenda was faultless at work, always finding something to do to improve T's comfort or to ensure everything was prepared ahead of time, meticulously planning and managing his clinical presentation. All while managing our holistic needs - she shared tears and laughter with us, listened to us reminiscing, took an interest in finding out who T was, listened to our fears about a future unknown, rationalized our thoughts, provided coffee and compassion, and arranged pastoral support via the chaplain.
She encompasses the 6Cs of nursing, so effortlessly and subconsciously! Her competency, genuine empathy and compassion, commitment to her work, and her reassuring, calming presence, all ensured that we had total confidence in her. In the hardest moments, we knew that she had everything under control to give T the best possible chance of recovery. And at a minimum, it facilitated us to feel that we could leave the room and take rest in those long days, without fear or concern or guilt.
Brenda truly epitomizes what it is to be a nurse, she is a credit to Kettering General Hospital, and our thanks will never truly express the gratitude we feel for what she did for us all, during this time.
***
My stepfather, T, was an emergency admission to the ITU following an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Brenda Dlodlo was T's nurse in the days proceeding.
Brenda is not a person who looks for thanks, or praise. She is just quietly excellent, someone who gives everything she does, 100%. So, I anticipate how overwhelmed she will be by this nomination, but this is the only way I know how to thank her appropriately and proportionately for what she did for not only T, but our family too at this devastating time. Brenda is the one incredible, wonderful memory we will cherish of T's passing.
Brenda was faultless at work, always finding something to do to improve T's comfort or to ensure everything was prepared ahead of time, meticulously planning and managing his clinical presentation. All while managing our holistic needs - she shared tears and laughter with us, listened to us reminiscing, took an interest in finding out who T was, listened to our fears about a future unknown, rationalized our thoughts, provided coffee and compassion, and arranged pastoral support via the chaplain.
She encompasses the 6Cs of nursing, so effortlessly and subconsciously! Her competency, genuine empathy and compassion, commitment to her work, and her reassuring, calming presence, all ensured that we had total confidence in her. In the hardest moments, we knew that she had everything under control to give T the best possible chance of recovery. And at a minimum, it facilitated us to feel that we could leave the room and take rest in those long days, without fear or concern or guilt.
Brenda truly epitomizes what it is to be a nurse, she is a credit to Kettering General Hospital, and our thanks will never truly express the gratitude we feel for what she did for us all, during this time.