I'd like to praise and give honor to Kelli for being what I see is an incredible, kind, loving and extremely knowledgeable nurse. She exemplifies all the best of what I believe nursing should be about. She knows her patients and she conveys excellence in providing evidenced based care. She also demonstrates great know how in navigating Cerner. I have worked on tracers with her many times in the ICU. Even when I'm working with others on tracers, on many occasions she will come over and will provide great assistance to other nurses during their tracers with me.
Yesterday, while working on a tracer with Kelli, my fingertips turned purple (vasoconstriction) and then almost immediately the excruciating pain in my fingertips associated with Raynaud's started unusually fast. I shared with Kelli that I have Raynaud's Syndrome. This young nurse who is a wealth of knowledge immediately jumped into action. She knew all about the excruciating pain of Raynaud's Syndrome and the need to warm the hands quickly. Immediately she jumped into action and told me that she was going to "take care of me". She told me that she was going to get me a warm compress and that is exactly what she did. She took the time to help me. Watching this extraordinary act of kindness surprised me.
I told Kelli not to worry about me for I would be okay, but she was so focused on helping me. I was taken aback and amazed when this younger nurse showed such caring and empathy for an older nurse of 35 years. She actually warmed up cloths and made me a warm compress, then she placed the warm compresses in a plastic bag for me, but the bag won't close so she then got tape and taped the plastic baggy for me. If that wasn't enough she then placed the warm compress on my hands and told me how to hold my hands on the warm compress so that I could warm my hands quickly. I actually did as she told me to do and we then continued to do the tracer. My hands did warm quickly and then she told me how to keep my hands warm the remainder of the day. As a nurse, it was extraordinary to be taken care of for a change.
This was a demonstration of kindness beyond what I expected and beyond what she had to do. This type of kindness is not learned it's innately within that person.
I was so surprised that she did this, it made me feel profoundly special as a person, and as a nurse. I was honored that the true spirit of one nurse taking care of another nurse was so exemplified in her actions. I will never forget Kelli's acts of profound kindness to me.