There are so many ways I could have started this letter of praise about a particular caregiver, but this fits so well in my mind. Whoa! He has a mohawk! I am sure that if you asked ten people what they would rather be doing at 10 pm at night OTHER than being admitted to the hospital you’d get ten varying activities, of which none have to do with the above question.

That night was kind of a blur since I was barely able to stay awake, and it was already late. I do remember the nurse being very soft-spoken and as gentle as her words in my care. She introduced herself and told me her name. After the work was done getting me settled in, the next thing I remember is daylight through the window in the room. That first full day was a continuation of the blur I had started the evening before. I remember countless people in and out providing some sort of care or service but can’t tell you names or faces. What I can tell you without any hesitation is that after 8 pm that evening, I had been blessed with a nurse named Andrew. Is this guy wearing a cape? You often hear a person brag on and on about great service of some sort. They can’t tell you enough good about how they were treated or taken care of. As the person listening to the overwhelming accolades being given out to this person’s experience, you start to question if any one person or service could have been that wonderful. Sadly, it is in our nature to ask that question sometimes. Well, let me share my experience with that super person in my life. To answer the lead question above this paragraph, no he didn’t have a cape, but I certainly looked several times to make sure. This isn’t an instance where Andrew was my nurse one or two nights and he was GREAT the little I saw him, he had to put up with me for NINE of the sixteen days I was hospitalized and was the same from beginning to the last.

For the first few nights, Andrew was the nurse on duty to take care of me, and I remember there being an immediate wonderful difference in myself. I can’t explain exactly what that difference was compared to the daytime hours, but it was clear and present in that room. The first night Andrew took care of me I want or needed for absolutely nothing. This doesn’t only go for a drink of water, another pillow under the legs, or whatever one needs being in this state. I am speaking of the conversation and patience Andrew offered and administered. There was a level of intentional listening done by Andrew that far exceeds any I have ever received from medical professionals, even regularly scheduled doctor visits in the past.

Because of the diagnosis of double pneumonia caused by Covid having a conversation with someone was my arch-nemesis. Not with Andrew. I found from the first words to each other, that if I started to gasp or couldn’t get through it, Andrew would stop me and say, “it’s ok, take a breath, we have time”. To many that means very little. To me, those were some of the most comforting first words I could have heard. Why, you ask? I have been admitted to a hospital with an illness that robs you of the air from your lungs, anxiety levels at a high point from the unknown of all that is going on, and literally unsure of the next breath I want to take and if it will be there. Those words did not come from a person that read that line from a study guide in nursing school. I can’t imagine those words were from Andrew listening to a how-to influence people podcast either. Those words were spoken from the heart of a man who is exactly where he is supposed to be in life, caring for others.

With my oxygen levels very low I learned quickly that sleeping on a bed flat on my back was not good, nor an option thanks to Andrew. I was quickly introduced to some giant pink foam wedges and enough pillows to immobilize a beluga whale. It’s not enough to just position a person in a proper sleeping form and expect them to stay there through their hours of sleep, it takes the kind of follow-through that Andrew did throughout the night. Each night I was in Andrew’s care our ritual of the “stuck like C” started plenty of time before my bedtime. What is “stuck like C”? One of the mornings I woke up to Andrew bringing my morning meds, and I was in the same exact position as we started the night before. I was still at the perfect angle for optimal O2 intake while sleeping. While Andrew was helping remove the wedges and pillows, he asked me how it worked. My answer was simply you got me “stuck like C” which stayed around with us as a laughing point for the next couple of weeks.

Along with the wedges, the pillows came into play in my positioning of the legs and arms. At different times, Andrew wrote encouraging messages on the pillowcases for me. Knowing how difficult it was not being able to see my lovely wife of 29 years and all three daughters, the messages on the linens were about them and humorous notes to smile about. Once again, I am pretty sure that isn’t anywhere in the curriculum or study guides for becoming a nurse. It is hard to stop goodness from coming from the heart of one that is good. It truly is the little things. Andrew would place the pillows with my wife’s name on them in my arms and tell me to hug them like I want to see her soon. Of course, that was always part of a bigger encouraging dialogue between him and me about keeping up the work to get home to my lovely family soon. It worked! With the struggle of not being able to breathe, I also had the immediate disappointment of learning I couldn’t have visitors of any sort at any time because of my illness. In my not being able to communicate for the first few days due to my condition, Andrew stepped in and stayed in contact with my wife, S, as much as he was able to plus take care of me and all the other souls he was responsible for in that shift or period. Knowing that she was able to get the information she needed for some level of peace is worth as much or more than anything else experienced. In our minds, Andrew was quickly adopted into our family and didn’t even know it yet. Just a quick talk matters! I found that in the evenings, I was blessed enough to have Andrew as my nurse, we had genuine conversation as soon as he stepped into my room. This also took place the following morning before his shift ended. These talks were very important to me since they were informative and chock full of valuable to-do’s as well as genuine concern for what I needed/wanted to know as the patient. To know that Andrew would take those 5-10 minutes and have an open dialogue about my health and current situation was extremely comforting. This could, and usually did, include a myriad of questions that I would throw at him and always get an answer, even if “I’m not sure, but will find out for you” (and he would).

I could write for days about the great experience with Andrew as my nurse but hope the above gives a reader an idea of why I feel the way I do about him. There is honestly much more I could share but didn’t want to type an encyclopedia for folks to have to read. This Hero puts his safety on the line to take care of others every time he goes to work, often away from his family more than with them, and continues to do it with a contrite heart for caregiving. If given the opportunity to follow Andrew on a couple of shifts just to observe him, one would better understand why I am so passionate about this nomination. I’m not sure whom the original author of the quote “People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime” is, but I do know my hopes are the latter of the three is where my family and I end up with Andrew. 

Note: This is Andrew's 2nd DAISY Award!