Abby DeYoung
August 2023
Abby
DeYoung
,
BSN, RN
Med Surg 2
Rush Copley Medical Center
Aurora
,
IL
United States

 

 

 

She asked about his life outside of the hospital, she shared about her own, and she treated him as a person, not a sick kid.
My 21-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia and immediately admitted to the Med/Surg floor (2A) at Rush Copley Medical Center. After the week of intense chemo finished, he developed an infection somewhere in his body. Abby was his nurse for several days while he was extremely sick and was such an incredible comfort to him. She was responsive, knowledgeable, and even though she had many other patients, she made my son feel like he was her only one. She was patient with him, she talked him through various procedures, and she ensured that he understood what each of the many medications he was taking was for. She answered questions for my husband and me and made sure that we were also informed and always taken care of. Most importantly to me as his mom, she never talked to him like a cancer patient. She asked about his life outside of the hospital, she shared about her own, and she treated him as a person, not a sick kid. When we found out the chemo was successful, she celebrated with us. She was his nurse on the day he found out he was being discharged the following day and she was so happy for him. Saying goodbye to her at the end of her shift was bittersweet because of the experiences we shared. We met many nurses over the month my son was in the hospital, and Abby stands out as one of the very best. She is an outstanding nurse and an empathic, compassionate person. We are so fortunate that he was a part of his care team.