May 2021
Colleen
Hilliard
,
RN
Surgical Team
Lancaster General Hospital/Penn Medicine
Lancaster
,
PA
United States
My daughter was a patient of Colleen Hilliard and had a dental procedure done because she loves her sweets. As a mother, I was scared for my five-year-old little girl to go through a minor procedure that required anesthesia. My fiancé (her dad) and I tried our best to explain prior what was going to happen the day of because she is a very shy and soft-spoken girl. Colleen was our pre-op nurse before the procedure and she made sure to make the process super easy and less stressful on our part. She talked and explained everything perfectly to my daughter that she did not cry at all. Colleen gave her some Disney images and crayons to color, put Disney on the TV to watch as well, and gave my daughter’s mickey mouse a surgical hat and armband on him to be just like her. Even though my daughter did not drink the medication she was supposed to consume, my daughter sat in the wheelchair to be wheeled back, gave her dad and me a hug, and went off. The trust that was established with the team was awesome and I was so thankful. In post-op, we were given instructions and we were able to understand everything going home. In addition, my daughter was not too happy with her mouth being numb, and then she noticed she was missing some teeth. Colleen came in once again to save the day, helped to talk her down, and used a mirror to show her what her mouth looked like. I am thankful for the team that helped my daughter through the whole procedure.