One Saturday right before Christmas I was on call for the Echo department and I had been called in to scan a patient in the ICU. Brett was working with my patient and the patient next door. When as I was finishing up my exam he asked me if I knew anything about recording heart sounds for families that have a child that is passing away. I told him that it was something that I did for our NICU patients that were going to pass away and explained the process a little more. Brett then told me about his patient in the next room and how he had been working all morning to try and help the family obtain items that they would be able to keep as mementos of their son. He had helped them do a hand mold and was searching for other types of hand printing items when he had called over to the NICU to see if they had anything. He was referred to me and they said that they would get him a recording device. Unfortunately, the NICU had just run out of recording devices so that is when Brett and I decided that he would try calling Build a Bear in the Mall. In between caring for his young patient and the grieving family, Brett managed to call Build a Bear and explain the situation to the manager at the store. He was able to get them to donate some recording devices. We then were able to coordinate with the family members so that they could be in the room and all get a recording of their son's heart beat to keep as a keepsake.
I have the opportunity to watch all of our intensive care unit nurses take care of our sickest patients and their families. These nurses pour their heart into what is often a thankless situation. On this day I was honored to be a part of Brett's effort to give everything he possibly could to a family going through the loss of their dear son.