December 2019
Mary
Corle
,
BSN, RN
Emergency Department
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia
,
PA
United States
I came to the ER for alcohol relapse. I am a liver transplant recipient as a direct result of my alcoholism and usually, these return trips to the ER are filled with lectures, finger-pointing, and expressions of disappointment in general. Mary Ann was very bubbly and smiling when she greeted me. The ER was so full I had to stay on a bed in the hallway but Mary took me just as seriously, professionally, and gave me all the attention I needed as a patient. She laughed and joked with me. She stayed and talked with me as hours and hours, and hours passed by and I was still stuck in the hallway. She made me feel less like a piece of equipment just stored in the corner, and more like a person who was actually cared about. When I was finally told I had a room upstairs, it was taken away at the last minute, and Mary Ann was so upset for me. She fought for me to get an ER room that had just opened up so I could finally get some comfort and sleep. She busted her butt to clean the room herself, got it all set up, and finally made me feel settled in after almost 24 hours in the hallway. I am truly grateful and honored to have had her as my nurse!