Emily Bird-Gunthner
December 2024
Emily
Bird-Gunthner
,
BSN, RN, PCCN
IICU
Corewell Health Troy Beaumont
Troy
,
MI
United States
The first thing Emily did was introduce herself and speak to us with such empathy. She explained how sorry she was that we were in the situation life had thrown at us. It really caught me off guard in such a wonderful way.
My healthy, spunky, young at heart, 67-year-old mother came down with a freak illness, which forced my father to call 911. Within 3 hours of the phone call, my mother was in the ICU, and our family had no answers. Spoiler Alert: I am so happy to share that while we went through quite a rollercoaster the next 48 hours, my mom would go home after a few days and return to (mostly) normal life.
There was a time within the first 10-12 hours that my father and I had no clue what life was going to look like for us.. or my mom. Would she live? Would she be the same person we knew and loved? Would she remember us? Would she need full-time care? These are all questions I was asking myself. Mom was admitted to the ICU around 1 am, and we spent the whole night trying to keep her comfortable. When the sun rose that morning, we were greeted by the sweetest nurse named Emily.
As you can imagine, my father and I were exhausted, physically and emotionally. The first thing Emily did was introduce herself and speak to us with such empathy. She explained how sorry she was that we were in the situation life had thrown at us. It really caught me off guard in such a wonderful way. Over the next couple of days, while Mom was in the ICU, Emily was our day nurse. I was so thankful she was there to make sure mom was comfortable and well cared for and that our family's needs were met and our questions were answered. I never felt like we were bothering her or that she was in a rush to get out of our room. I felt OK stepping away to get a coffee or run to the cafeteria because I knew my mom was in the best hands. She was there with us every step of the way. She spoke with such a soft and warm tone; it really made me feel safe.
Emily, I feel, is one of those people who are just born to take care of others. She was made to be a nurse. If this email does anything, I just would love for Emily to know how grateful we are for her. I know healthcare can be such an exhausting and thankless job, but she should know that what she is doing really makes a difference. Not only for her patients but also for their families. She was the calm we needed in the most chaotic of times. While our situation ended up with the best possible outcome (Mom going home), I know that isn't always the case for some families. But, when that day comes for anyone, I pray they have Nurse Emily.
There was a time within the first 10-12 hours that my father and I had no clue what life was going to look like for us.. or my mom. Would she live? Would she be the same person we knew and loved? Would she remember us? Would she need full-time care? These are all questions I was asking myself. Mom was admitted to the ICU around 1 am, and we spent the whole night trying to keep her comfortable. When the sun rose that morning, we were greeted by the sweetest nurse named Emily.
As you can imagine, my father and I were exhausted, physically and emotionally. The first thing Emily did was introduce herself and speak to us with such empathy. She explained how sorry she was that we were in the situation life had thrown at us. It really caught me off guard in such a wonderful way. Over the next couple of days, while Mom was in the ICU, Emily was our day nurse. I was so thankful she was there to make sure mom was comfortable and well cared for and that our family's needs were met and our questions were answered. I never felt like we were bothering her or that she was in a rush to get out of our room. I felt OK stepping away to get a coffee or run to the cafeteria because I knew my mom was in the best hands. She was there with us every step of the way. She spoke with such a soft and warm tone; it really made me feel safe.
Emily, I feel, is one of those people who are just born to take care of others. She was made to be a nurse. If this email does anything, I just would love for Emily to know how grateful we are for her. I know healthcare can be such an exhausting and thankless job, but she should know that what she is doing really makes a difference. Not only for her patients but also for their families. She was the calm we needed in the most chaotic of times. While our situation ended up with the best possible outcome (Mom going home), I know that isn't always the case for some families. But, when that day comes for anyone, I pray they have Nurse Emily.