As a young mother of 2 kids, losing the love of your life could be the hardest thing you could go through. My husband was in the COVID unit for 37 days. He had many ups and downs during this time. I think the hardest part about all this was not being there for my husband at his side. I remember calling every day of the week. Everyone was great but this nurse worked every single weekend while my husband was on ECMO. I felt that I got to build the rapport with Johnny. I know physically I wasn't there but I knew that he was always being taken care of well. I know that my husband probably kept them really busy, but Johnny put the phone to his ears so he could listen to worship and Sunday service. I know that I could call as many times as I wanted and that this nurse would always talk to me, and it didn't matter how long the conversation was. Johnny always had time to talk to me and honestly, that meant a lot. I built that connection with him.
Johnny was working when I was allowed to visit my husband. I was a total mess emotionally. I was really frustrated and as a young mother listening to the doctors tell you your husband is only alive because of life support and that it was time to let him go was hard. Johnny was there that day and listened to me. He was there to comfort me and pat my shoulder. I felt that he understood how hard this was for me as a nurse. I knew it medically, but my heart was not ready to lose him. Johnny was there for me when I felt like the world was falling apart. He is compassionate at what he does and that is what a nurse should be every day in their nursing career. He has such a caring heart for patients and their families.