I had a very dear friend who was admitted to your hospital, and due to her condition being so critical, she was placed in the ICU. I want to compliment all of the nurses who cared for my friend L. I want to bring one particular nurse to your attention, Amber. I lived next door to L for 26 years, we became extremely close. I was a caregiver to L as well as a friend. I considered L to be family in my eyes, almost like a grandmother although she was not old enough to be my grandmother. Due to some unpleasant family dynamics, L had verbally asked for me to be her Healthcare Surrogate, but I was unable to have the legal form signed by myself, L, and 2 witnesses due to the fact I worked late and also had my mother in another hospital at the same time L was in your hospital. When she became very ill, and her death was imminent, her estranged sister appeared in the picture and began making all the decisions, despite it being well known by some of the hospital staff that L's wishes were for me to make her decisions. In addition, I was given an affidavit form to have notarized and returned to the hospital. Needless to say, the form did not hold up with the Risk Management and legal department at the hospital. I visited L every night, so I was well known to your staff and they knew how much I cared for and loved L. The decision was made by the sister to remove the ET tube and remove L from the ventilator. The sister called me around 9 am and stated that if I wanted to visit L and say my goodbye, I had to see her in the next 30 minutes as she would be coming to the hospital and will be having the tube removed in 1 hour and I would not be able to see her. Unfortunately, I was on my way to the other hospital to see my mother, so I would not be able to make it to L. This really upset me, and I could not get that thought out of my mind. I spoke to some others who did make it to the hospital to say goodbye. I found out that the sister never made it to the hospital until late afternoon which upset me even more, as I didn't have the opportunity to have some closure with L. I received a call from amber around 9 pm stating that if I wanted to come see L, I would be allowed before they were to remove the tube. Needless to say, I raced to the hospital, and I was able to spend some quality time with her that allowed me to have peace and closure with.
I cannot thank Amber enough for that opportunity. She went above and beyond her duties to make this happen, as she saw how much love I had for L. She knew that this was just as important to L as it was to me. The kindness and compassion she showed during this situation and during the time that she was her nurse, shows a lot for her character, and her love for her job. She expressed such kindness towards L and to the close friends of L. St. Joseph's is very fortunate to have Amber on staff. She is an amazing person inside and out. After the tube was removed, L decided she was not ready to let go. The sister had left and L was in the room by herself with Amber as her nurse. I was extremely grateful to get the next call from Amber stating that L had the ET tube removed and was taken off the ventilator. She informed me that L was still not giving up, and would I like to come to the hospital. Amber knew that nobody should have to die alone. I was the hospital in 20 minutes flat. I then called 2 more of L's close friends, and we remained at the bedside until 8:26 am when she finally passed. Amber is a true angel in our eyes and there is a special place in my heart for her.
Amber exhibited full characteristics of what a nurse is supposed to be and do. I was a nurse for 17 years and am now a Physician Assistant. I would be proud and feel quite comfortable knowing that she could possibly be caring for one of my patients each day, or possibly a family member. Amber is an asset to your hospital and an asset to the nursing profession everywhere. Please express my thanks and gratitude to Amber.