Heidi A Elyea-Schulenberg
November 2024
Heidi A
Elyea-Schulenberg
,
ASN, RN
Ortho Trauma
Parkview Regional Medical Center
Fort Wayne
,
IN
United States
I will never forget having with my friend and coworker Heidi. She made sure everything was done right.
It has taken me time to think exactly how I wanted to describe what Heidi did for me, my family, and my Opa. I would love to nominate my whole unit for what they did for my family and me during this event, but I can't.
My grandpa E had been in and out of the hospital basically from May till July. At one point, he was admitted to my unit on Ortho Trauma, where Heidi was his nurse for multiple, multiple shifts. They got to know each other quite well. She would speak with him in the multiple languages he knew, which always warms his heart. She was definitely one of his favorites. My grandpa loved all the nurses who took care of him over those few months, but I knew he was in excellent hands with Heidi.
After he had been discharged from Ortho Trauma to rehab, Heidi would continuously check in to see how my grandpa was doing and me as well. The last hospitalization was in July. I had been sending multiple friends from work, including Heidi, on my grandpa's condition and that his kidneys were just rapidly declining in function due to the infection and antibiotics that he had been taking for months. I had messaged Heidi that my family and my grandpa had decided that comfort measures were what was best. I did not know that Heidi was working that night. I had sent updates when I went into the hospital around 0530 when it was relayed to us that my grandpa's BP was declining along with his RR, HR, and cognition. Heidi had asked at 0700 that day what room he was in and that she was going to come down after report to visit. I could not make this up even if I tried.
My sister had noticed around 0745 that my grandpa's breathing was practically non-existent, and she couldn't feel a pulse. So we had let the bedside nurse know. As she and one other nurse were listening for a heartbeat and couldn't hear anything, Heidi had literally just walked in, and they called it that my grandpa had just passed. Of course, I and my family were crying and hugging one another. Heidi stayed. She stayed for hours after her shift. She had just taken care of multiple other people for over twelve hours, then stayed with me, my Opa, and my family for hours. She walked up to my grandpa and said, "Ruhe in Frieden, mein Lieber." which is German for "Rest easy, my dear." German was my grandpa's language. Heidi and he spoke to each other in German when she cared for him. I hope she knows how much her presence meant to me that day. She asked if she could then bathe my grandpa as we nurses and PCTs have done for many loved ones who have passed for others. I absolutely said yes, please.
My sister and I ended up asking if we could bathe him as well. For Heidi, myself, and my sister (all Nurses) to bathe my grandpa together was such an honor and a moment I will never forget having with my friend and coworker Heidi. She made sure everything was done right. She made sure we got all the fingerprints we wanted. She made sure that they printed out EKG strips of his last heartbeats. She even ran down to our unit and found some putty and got a thumbprint, then wrapped my grandpa's hand around it so that now we have a full handprint of my grandpa. She had done so much for me and my family that day that the bedside nurse thought she was a Hospice nurse who was just there to help.
To say Heidi went above and beyond for my grandpa and family that day is an understatement. I will literally never forget her presence and help for us that day. She then asked about when my grandpa's viewing would be. She, along with a few of my other coworkers, came to the viewing as well. She got me a cardinal wind chime. My unit all chipped in to purchase a flower arrangement in honor of my grandpa, me, and my family, but Heidi specifically chose flowers that would not immediately die so that I could plant them and keep them for a while. The care she provided for my Opa on Ortho Trauma, the comfort she gave me the day my Opa passed, and the comfort she continues to give will never be forgotten.
My grandpa E had been in and out of the hospital basically from May till July. At one point, he was admitted to my unit on Ortho Trauma, where Heidi was his nurse for multiple, multiple shifts. They got to know each other quite well. She would speak with him in the multiple languages he knew, which always warms his heart. She was definitely one of his favorites. My grandpa loved all the nurses who took care of him over those few months, but I knew he was in excellent hands with Heidi.
After he had been discharged from Ortho Trauma to rehab, Heidi would continuously check in to see how my grandpa was doing and me as well. The last hospitalization was in July. I had been sending multiple friends from work, including Heidi, on my grandpa's condition and that his kidneys were just rapidly declining in function due to the infection and antibiotics that he had been taking for months. I had messaged Heidi that my family and my grandpa had decided that comfort measures were what was best. I did not know that Heidi was working that night. I had sent updates when I went into the hospital around 0530 when it was relayed to us that my grandpa's BP was declining along with his RR, HR, and cognition. Heidi had asked at 0700 that day what room he was in and that she was going to come down after report to visit. I could not make this up even if I tried.
My sister had noticed around 0745 that my grandpa's breathing was practically non-existent, and she couldn't feel a pulse. So we had let the bedside nurse know. As she and one other nurse were listening for a heartbeat and couldn't hear anything, Heidi had literally just walked in, and they called it that my grandpa had just passed. Of course, I and my family were crying and hugging one another. Heidi stayed. She stayed for hours after her shift. She had just taken care of multiple other people for over twelve hours, then stayed with me, my Opa, and my family for hours. She walked up to my grandpa and said, "Ruhe in Frieden, mein Lieber." which is German for "Rest easy, my dear." German was my grandpa's language. Heidi and he spoke to each other in German when she cared for him. I hope she knows how much her presence meant to me that day. She asked if she could then bathe my grandpa as we nurses and PCTs have done for many loved ones who have passed for others. I absolutely said yes, please.
My sister and I ended up asking if we could bathe him as well. For Heidi, myself, and my sister (all Nurses) to bathe my grandpa together was such an honor and a moment I will never forget having with my friend and coworker Heidi. She made sure everything was done right. She made sure we got all the fingerprints we wanted. She made sure that they printed out EKG strips of his last heartbeats. She even ran down to our unit and found some putty and got a thumbprint, then wrapped my grandpa's hand around it so that now we have a full handprint of my grandpa. She had done so much for me and my family that day that the bedside nurse thought she was a Hospice nurse who was just there to help.
To say Heidi went above and beyond for my grandpa and family that day is an understatement. I will literally never forget her presence and help for us that day. She then asked about when my grandpa's viewing would be. She, along with a few of my other coworkers, came to the viewing as well. She got me a cardinal wind chime. My unit all chipped in to purchase a flower arrangement in honor of my grandpa, me, and my family, but Heidi specifically chose flowers that would not immediately die so that I could plant them and keep them for a while. The care she provided for my Opa on Ortho Trauma, the comfort she gave me the day my Opa passed, and the comfort she continues to give will never be forgotten.