The 3A unit recently facilitated an event for a patient and her family which lightened a burden and made a very sad time joyful.
My mother was admitted with a chronic disease at the age of 100. She had been making progress in regaining strength after a bout of pneumonia for which she was treated and discharged. Things were looking positive for her to be able to attend her only granddaughter's wedding until a re-admittance to Mercy Fairfield. This was my daughter's 1st marriage at the age of 41. My mother had been praying hard and looking forward to this day for years. My daughter was equally excited as her grandmother had lived with us for 30+ years and was integral to her life.
As it became apparent that my mother would not live until the day of the wedding, we decided to perform a ceremony in her hospital room. The groom flew in from Colorado on a few hours' notice. Chaplain Tammy heard about our plan and the circumstances via a typical room visit. She returned in a couple of hours with a small bouquet for my daughter to carry. Shortly after, cupcakes and a small bakery decorated bride/groom cake appeared for which we discovered she had arranged. Shortly thereafter, nurses Krista Lower, Angela Baldwin, and Jenna Bernardo flew into action. They found a room (which was no small task) in which my daughter could dress in my wedding dress. They helped with happy sisterly care to get her buttoned, dress arranged, and veil on. One of the nurses asked if we had any music and we did not. She found the song for which my daughter asked so she would have music for her "entrance" into the hospital room where a few family members awaited, along with my mother's minister.
Prior to all of this they had freshened my mother's appearance with a new gown, hair neatly combed, etc. and had the bed neatly arranged and the furniture arranged or removed to allow for the small group. These nurses stayed in the room for the ceremony at our behest and cried and smiled with the rest of us as my mother gave the blessings as she would have done at the scheduled ceremony. It was definitely a miracle this all transpired, and my mother was lucid as she had been requiring Ativan. She was "with us" for a window of about an hour and a half. She smiled broadly as she congratulated the bride and groom. This was our last relational time with my mother and my daughter's grandmother.
These nurses as well as Nicole Toole, Elissa Martin, Elizabeth Walterman and Clair Schwieterman who were not working at the time of the wedding, not only provided skill in the care of my mother's physical needs but also her emotional needs and ours. The Chaplain provided important pieces for the ceremony and by her counseling in our sorrow. This will be a beautiful memory which we will carry with us forever. Thank you for having these particular individuals on your staff. They performed their jobs professionally and with great compassion for my mother's entire stay. We asked many questions and challenged ideas and may have been demanding in the care of Mom. They were tremendously patient and gracious in answering our questions and call lights. When hard decisions had to be made by me, they were informative and professional but in a compassionate manner.
Thank you!!! Thank you for creating a hiring profile which seeks out individuals such as these for employment.