Maria is by far one of the most skilled, brightest, compassionate nurses I have ever met. She came up on a terrible motorcycle accident, and although the patient did not survive, she was there to comfort him and try to care for him in his time of need.
Maria lives the "Patients First", even when not on the clock. She was on her way to PA to visit her sick mother. After working all day, she and her husband had a 3.5-hour ride ahead of them. The highway they were on consisted of three lanes, a concrete barrier, and another three lanes. An additional two lanes were for exiting vehicles. Traffic came to a complete stop approximately 5 cars back from the exit. Maria sees a gentleman running across all six lanes and was quite confused. As her husband inched ahead, she could see a man lying on the roadway. Her husband asked her if she wanted him to pull over. Her ICU, BLS instructor experience, and living the CCF mission of patients first kicked in and she immediately said "absolutely"! Upon encountering the individual, she determined his leg was severely broken with two bones protruding from the skin. Also, his arm was almost entirely severed off, exposing ligaments and tendons. A retired paramedic offered assistance by stabilizing the victims head. This patient was lying face down, however, there was a faint, irregular pulse and breathing. A bystander offered his shirt so that blood could be wiped away from the victim's mouth and used to hold pressure on the severed arm. At one point the victim said, "I can't breathe". Maria told the victim he was in a motorcycle accident and that help was on the way. She never left his side and tried to maintain his dignity and privacy from on-lookers. The victim died several hours later in the hospital.