June 2019
Jenna
Stromsoe
,
RN, MSN
Outpatient Rehabilitation Department
Rady Children's Hospital of San Diego
San Diego
,
CA
United States
Our seven-year-old son has numerous impairments, some severe to profound. We are often at appointments (medical, therapy, or equipment). As parents, we are on the phone with Rady staff numerous times a week, scheduling, or getting answers to questions. Jenna Stromsoe stands out as an excellent nurse. My son had serial casting this Spring and when I needed help scheduling, Jenna called me, gave me her extension, and helped me understand the process as well as confirm his appointment in the OR. I had follow-up questions, which she got answered and got back to me. During the casting, my son had an accident and we had to come in to get his casts replaced. The new casts were causing a sore on his upper leg the next day, and we happened to be connected to Jenna again when we called with questions. We didn't want to drive all the way to Rady — it usually takes us 3 hours round trip with traffic and we had just done the drive the day before. Jenna listened and eventually told us we did have to come but checked with a doctor first. I was emotional because we were exhausted and I didn't want to put my son through all that car time. Jenna helped us with grace and kindness. She showed empathy and understanding without wavering from her professionalism. Because we have so much going on with our son, simple patience and kindness make a very big difference in our lives. It ended up that it was basically a "no" — we had to go in despite not wanting to. However, because Jenna was willing to ask a doctor and had specific consequences if we didn't, we were able to understand that this was by far the best choice. We felt like on both occasions, we had an ally in Jenna, someone who was willing to help us understand our choices and show us compassion.