Christy
Justice
July 2010
Christy
Justice
,
RN
Med/Surg
Houston Methodist Hospital
Houston
,
TX
United States
Christy was the primary nurse for a patient with terminal lung cancer May 28th, 2010, which was also the patient’s birthday. This patient’s last wish was to live long enough to see her daughter graduate from high school, which was coming up in one week. Knowing that this would be the last birthday that this patient would celebrate, Christy organized an impromptu birthday celebration for her. She also arranged for a cake to be delivered and organized the staff to sing “Happy Birthday.” In addition, Christy went to the gift shop and purchased two gifts for the patient with her own money. One gift was an angel pin and the other was a plaque with an inspirational quote. The patient’s face lit up when we entered the room for this spontaneous celebration of life. Christy’s deep personal faith enables her to make a unique connection with patients and their families; and her compassion is immeasurable and limitless. Christy always demonstrates “above and beyond” behavior and serves as a role model for her colleagues. This situation also exemplifies her inherent ICARE values. Sadly, this patient passed away on May 31, 2010. However, the family was extremely appreciative of the excellent and compassionate care that Christy and our staff provided.