November 2021
Felicia
Gooden
,
MS, BSN, RN-BC
Silverstein 11
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia
,
PA
United States
Felicia has found a way to understand a difficult individual and see ways to talk to me.
So my story is that I am a recovering drug addict whose family (mother and father) abandoned me at the age of 2. As an only child with no siblings, parents, or support/guidance, I have pushed all good things away all my life; scared of success I used excuses to sabotage my life. At 42, I’ve made it nowhere but jails, institutions, and nearly died. At the hospital, I’ve been difficult and although people have done things that were not right, Ms. Felicia has not followed suit. I tried to push this nurse away just like all the others however, she has refused to retreat from me. She has shown me continuous care, which has proven all my reasons to give up, all my excuses to not follow through or care, to be false. Her caring but thick skin has tolerated me, and in fact, her actions have [given] me visions of how to overcome my problems. One day she missed a family birthday to be at my bedside, another day she went out of her way to care for me when my nurse was busy elsewhere. She has gotten orders done for me that doctors neglected, she has communicated with me in ways that others couldn’t see or understand. She has found a way to understand a difficult individual and see ways to not only show but talk to me in ways I see different outcomes; positive outcomes, in fact. She had in fact given me hope of success and confidence I could not see alone. She’s an RN…however she’s qualified for much, much more in my opinion.