
MaKenzie Flanary
March 2025
MaKenzie
Flanary
,
BSN, RN
Labor & Delivery
ECU Health Medical Center
Greenville
,
NC
United States
MaKenzie truly provided a small ounce of peace, kindness, and love during our nightmare tragedy of losing a child due to stillbirth at 25 weeks.
MaKenzie provided the most nurturing, respectful, and truly healthcare-centered care during our recent trauma. We found out at 25 weeks that my partner and I lost our child due to stillbirth. MaKenzie continuously requested to be our day nurse because of the relationship formed over the four days in the hospital. She allowed us time to grieve, encouraged us that we were not alone, checked in on us, and asked not only my partner going through the induced birth but also me (the father), our three-year-old, my mother, and my sister anything and everything they wanted. She even found resources for my three-year-old to color and pass the time. She laid out every medical option and consistently checked in on us, never making us feel alone or isolated. Anytime we called for her, she was there as soon as possible. She demonstrated beneficence to the highest extent, showing that nurses can be both educationally talented and compassionate. A humanistic nurse who was already overbooked with other patients never ceased to check in on us, ensuring the safest and most comfortable delivery possible given the situation. She continuously mentioned how strong we were, and even though she never went through the same experience of losing a child, resources and people are available to help. She reassured us after every negative result that it was never our fault and that there was nothing we could have done differently. MaKenzie truly provided a small ounce of peace, kindness, and love during our nightmare tragedy of losing a child due to stillbirth at 25 weeks. She demonstrated day in and day out the real definition of a humanistic and caring nurse, as she always stated, "this is what I do it for. I love my job as a nurse and though I cannot empathize with you, I sympathize to my fullest." She cried with us, hugged us, and stayed in the room when we needed strength. Since then, we have seen her, and she immediately not only recognized us but also checked on our well-being, updated status, and any new news. She even asked for one of the wristbands we made to honor our daughter to wear for her patients to see and share our story for hope. She never forgot us, regardless of her thousands of patients in the two months since then, and immediately came up to us and provided that same loving care as when she was our active nurse.