May 2024
Chisma M
Harper
,
MSN, BSN, RN
Labor and Delivery
Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center
Oakland
,
CA
United States
She made me feel safe enough to express my emotions and gave me the most genuine, heartfelt hug after sharing my feelings with her. It meant the world to me.
I was very suddenly hospitalized for pre-eclampsia with severe features upon arriving for evaluation at labor and delivery triage. Suddenly, my whole life turned upside down - rather than six more weeks of work before delivery, I had to cancel all work commitments and pray to stay pregnant and baby safe until we could reach an ideal gestational age. Chisma cared for me on two key days during my hospitalization. First, she cared for me in the antepartum wing as we tried to stabilize my blood pressure and stave off an early induction. Her warmth and passion for her work shone through from the beginning of my stay. She made a personal connection, shared about herself and her own daughter, and asked questions to get to know me as a person, not just a patient. What struck me most, though, was that she was the only nurse I let see me cry during my stay. She made me feel safe enough to express my emotions and gave me the most genuine, heartfelt hug after sharing my feelings with her. It meant the world to me. Fortuitously, Chisma was also my nurse during my labor process. Again, she tended to me and made me feel safe and cared for. She helped me advocate for myself with my medical team, and reassured me when I had to make tough decisions during delivery. Chisma is, through and through, an exemplary nurse. Most importantly, she is an exemplary human being. I can only imagine how many patients' lives she has touched in her work.