We had an 8-year-old female patient on Medical 1 and these nurses did something amazing for her. A little back story to start. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, the young lady did not have a mother in her life. She appeared to be slightly disheveled upon her admission and during her stay with us.
Jennifer Ellis noticed this and put a plan into motion that made this child feel special as all children should. Jennifer stated her intentions of going shopping for this patient to get her some new, clean clothes, underwear, socks, shampoo, hair detangler, and other items an 8-year-old girl would enjoy. Laurie Dave, who was the patient's day shift nurse, immediately jumped in to help fund this mission. After working a 12-hour shift, Jennifer left work to shop. A couple of hours later, she returned with a very large bag of items for the child. Jennifer was able to get all of the items the child needed and could use. Jennifer was able to get her clean clothes, underwear, socks, a brush, and hair products. Jennifer also found some toys and a diary -the patient's favorite item - to give the girl. We are pretty sure that this young lady left our hospital feeling very special. This is by far the most selfless act I have ever seen in our hospital. We preach to go above and beyond for all of our patients. It is my opinion that these two nurses went above and beyond the above and beyond. This is what nursing is at its core. Jennifer and Laurie treated this little girl as a little girl, not like "another patient." This simple act of kindness from two strangers could be life altering for a child of that age.
This act of kindness brought a smile to a lot of faces on this day. Team members who were not here have heard about it and reached out to me to let me know, "It made me proud to be on their team." I too am proud to be on their team. I called Jennifer to thank her for what she did. I told her this does not go unnoticed. She said to me that she did not do it for any recognition and she did not want to make a big deal out of it. It is my hope that we all strive to be a little more like Jennifer and Laurie. What they did this day was simply amazing.