My grandmother M was brought into the hospital. The following month, she made the decision to discontinue treatment and enter hospice. I stayed with my grandmother overnight, along with my mother, to keep my grandmother company. Nurse Mai was the first nurse to provide care that night, and she showed such compassion, kindness, and thought when determining how to keep my grandmother comfortable. My grandmother was barely able to speak, but she would come in through the night and talk to her, let her know what she was doing, and ask questions. She made us and my grandmother feel safe and in great hands.

CNA Melissa was on my grandmother’s shift multiple nights and days before she decided to go on comfort care. Melissa spoke Spanish with my grandmother and talked to her about her day and how she was feeling, combed her hair, made sure she was comfortable, and translated for her when a family member couldn't be there. My grandmother personally advised us how kind Melissa was to her and how she took care of her like she was a family member herself.

When my grandmother was moved from 3 West to 3 Main, she was taken care of by many CNAs and RNs; however, Nurses Lindsey, Mina, and Monique were exceptional. These three nurses not only had to deal with family tension in the room but a patient who was slowly dying. Although the situation had a difficult outcome, they treated my grandmother so kindly and provided her with dignity in the dying process. They took the time to speak with my mother some nights and listened about my grandmother’s home life and diagnosis. When my grandmother did pass, they found us before leaving to give condolences and hugs and made us feel like we were going to be okay. Little moments like showing us how they were going to clean my grandmother, what they were giving her, helping us decide if she was in any pain and needed more medication, and joining in conversations with the Doctor as support. They provided us with every experience they had with a patient who was in comfort care and helped us process the situation.

After 9 long days of comfort care, no dialysis, no urination, and no food or water, my grandmother passed. Although my grandmother had been in and out of the hospital for many stays over the last 6 years, this stay was different. She didn't get to come home with us. I will say that with many stories of the hospital, I could not be more thankful to the nursing staff on-site who helped not only my grandmother but my family with the transition. These staff members were exceptional in every way, and I can only hope as a supervisor and administration, they feel thankful to have wonderful employees like them who are the face of the hospital when it comes to family members. They are extremely intelligent and earned a lot of respect from my family and me. We want to send a special thank you to the staff on floors 3 West and 3 Main for their compassion and kindness. My grandmother would want us to make sure each nurse received a thank you and a hug.