The nomination was sent in by a patient's family member and the patient was a Post Lung Transplant who was severely de-conditioned and continuously refused to participate in any rehabilitation. He refused to bathe or allow staff to assist with any grooming. He had basically lost his will to live and was severely depressed.
Doug was assigned to be his nurse one day and after a lot of deal making, convinced him to allow him and a nursing assistant to bathe him, wash his hair and give him a complete facial shave as part of the grooming process. Shortly thereafter, his wife arrived and was startled to see him groomed and sitting up in a chair, while Doug was changing his bed linens and having a conversation with him. When she saw him she began to cry because as she put it, "He had turned the corner and was willing to resume living".
Doug would visit his room even on days that he was not assigned to be his nurse to check on his progress, his emotional well-being and provide encouragement to push through any adversity. Doug and the patient developed a trusting relationship where he felt comfortable confiding in his fears and concerns about the future and his health. Doug often stayed after his shift just to visit with him and continuously encourage him to walk down the hall and not only to get out of his bed, but also to get out of his room. The first time his wife arrived and he was not in his room, she panicked thinking something had happened to him medically, until he and Doug arrived and she saw that he was up and walking - which she said was something she thought she would never see him do again. She asked Doug what the chances were for him to be his nurse all the time and Doug told her it was not him being his nurse that was helping to resume his former life, but that it was the patient taking account of what he wanted to accomplish and what he would be missing out on if he did not do whatever he needed to do to get stronger and change his way of thinking. Doug told her it was all her husband's doing and that he was just there for moral support. Doug also told her that the patient did not need him being his nurse daily but that he just needed to be reminded of what of what was important to him; his wife.
After he was discharged, both he and his wife would visit the unit on days that they were on site for a follow up clinical visit, testing or blood work. His wife always reminded Doug of a quote he once said to her which was, "People will forget what you did and what you said but, they will never forget how you made them feel". She credited Doug taking the time to bathe and groom him as the turning point, because it made him "feel good" and that he needed something to make him feel good in order to "rejoin the living".
Doug kept in touch with them for years after that and unfortunately was asked to be a pallbearer at his patient's funeral a couple of years ago. Doug had to call off work to do so but, would not have missed this opportunity for the world. The two of them taught Doug what it meant to endure and to this day, he often thinks about them and every Christmas and Easter receives a card from his widow thanking him for doing what he did and continues to do.
Incidentally, she always puts a scratch off lottery ticket in the card and writes "I hope you hit it big but, not enough that you would consider retiring because there are people who need you to continue doing what you do. Doug loves being a nurse and taking care of the people he had the opportunity to take care of while working at UPMC for ten years. Doug is eternally grateful for having the opportunity to be part of their lives and them taking the time to nominate him for recognition of doing something he finds very rewarding in itself.