Jessie Charbonneau
February 2025
Jessie
Charbonneau
,
BSN, RN, CCRN
ECMO
Children's Mercy Kansas City
Kansas City
United States
Jessie, being on the core team, is often exposed repeatedly to very difficult situations. No matter how many times she has been through this, she never loses her heart and her kindness.
I have worked alongside Jessie for years and have witnessed her utilize her skills and wealth of knowledge to help people time and time again. She is beyond brilliant and is always willing to have a conversation with a physician or medical team to offer her advice or talk about a similar experience in which she gained knowledge and saw what might have had a positive outcome. She is well respected and appreciated by so many. I have also seen her take newer nurses and RT's under her wing and teach them about her passion for the cardiac system. She will teach you about anything and everything and even draw you a picture to help you visualize it.
We take care of the sickest kids and babies, and often, it is heart-wrenching to feel so hopeless when the outcome is not in our favor despite all our best efforts. Jessie, being on the core team, is often exposed repeatedly to very difficult situations. No matter how many times she has been through this, she never loses her heart and her kindness. I have had the honor of seeing her pour her creative mind into making crafts and other memory items for families. Hand drawing pictures or designs for their dressings for families and patients, bringing a little brightness in the midst of their darkness. I've watched her braid the hair of our patients on ECMO and give them bows. I've seen her sit down with these families and have hard conversations over and over again, explaining so they can understand and process it. Often, we find it impossible to know how to help families with this immense grief and heartache.
With a recent family, I watched Jessie go to bat and call the on-call doctor for ECMO at home to confirm we would be able to let this hurting mom and dad hold their baby on ECMO. She advocated fiercely despite her full workload and being the only core team on that night. She fought for them to have a chance to make memories with their baby before they had to say goodbye. This is not the first time I have seen her do something like this, and I am certain it will not be the last. I am sure she would say she is "just doing her job."
We take care of the sickest kids and babies, and often, it is heart-wrenching to feel so hopeless when the outcome is not in our favor despite all our best efforts. Jessie, being on the core team, is often exposed repeatedly to very difficult situations. No matter how many times she has been through this, she never loses her heart and her kindness. I have had the honor of seeing her pour her creative mind into making crafts and other memory items for families. Hand drawing pictures or designs for their dressings for families and patients, bringing a little brightness in the midst of their darkness. I've watched her braid the hair of our patients on ECMO and give them bows. I've seen her sit down with these families and have hard conversations over and over again, explaining so they can understand and process it. Often, we find it impossible to know how to help families with this immense grief and heartache.
With a recent family, I watched Jessie go to bat and call the on-call doctor for ECMO at home to confirm we would be able to let this hurting mom and dad hold their baby on ECMO. She advocated fiercely despite her full workload and being the only core team on that night. She fought for them to have a chance to make memories with their baby before they had to say goodbye. This is not the first time I have seen her do something like this, and I am certain it will not be the last. I am sure she would say she is "just doing her job."