December 2021
Patricia
Wityczak
,
BSN, RN
12A Medical Progressive Care
Loma Linda University Medical Center
Loma Linda
,
CA
United States
Many times, I pretended to be “waiting to speak with her” just to appreciate the time she spends with her patients holding their hands speaking softly or just listening to them.
Some people call it destiny others fate others a chance, but a horrible circumstance put Patricia Wityczak and I on the same path. It was 2020 a year that many will never forget especially those of us who work in the medical field. A horrible pandemic was devastating the world and here we were Patricia and I trying to survive in the middle of a hurricane. I am a transplant nurse practitioner and for my patients recently transplanted who are immunocompromised COVID could be a life sentence. I was taking care of Mr. C a 65 y/o male only a month post-liver transplantation who had recently contracted COVID. We have transferred Mr. C to rehab to complete the rest of his recovery and to get strong but an outbreak of COVID on the rehab unit where he was admitted brought him back to the Medical Center. He was admitted to unit 6100 and assigned to Patricia.
When I saw Patricia for the first time interacting with him, I knew she was a special angel. See, some people are nurses for the financial remuneration the title or the prestige but there are few who do nursing for a call or the love of the profession. I do not know how long this angel has been working at Loma Linda or how long she has been a nurse but the way she treated her patients was special. Most of us were scared of COVID and tried to spend a minimal amount of time with them for fear of getting infected with the disease. This as well as the fact that the family could not be present was devastating for the majority of patients making the loneliness of the disease more palpable. They were scared to die alone without much human interaction, and I know Patricia was aware of that. Many times, I pretended to be “waiting to speak with her” just to appreciate the time she spends with her patients holding their hands speaking softly or just listening to them. Even through the double mask cap and shield I bet they could see her beautiful smile. For many of them that was the last face they saw and the last voice they heard before getting intubated and dying. For over a year Patricia provided patiently that quality of care to each of her patients and that is why she is a true DAISY Nurse.
When I saw Patricia for the first time interacting with him, I knew she was a special angel. See, some people are nurses for the financial remuneration the title or the prestige but there are few who do nursing for a call or the love of the profession. I do not know how long this angel has been working at Loma Linda or how long she has been a nurse but the way she treated her patients was special. Most of us were scared of COVID and tried to spend a minimal amount of time with them for fear of getting infected with the disease. This as well as the fact that the family could not be present was devastating for the majority of patients making the loneliness of the disease more palpable. They were scared to die alone without much human interaction, and I know Patricia was aware of that. Many times, I pretended to be “waiting to speak with her” just to appreciate the time she spends with her patients holding their hands speaking softly or just listening to them. Even through the double mask cap and shield I bet they could see her beautiful smile. For many of them that was the last face they saw and the last voice they heard before getting intubated and dying. For over a year Patricia provided patiently that quality of care to each of her patients and that is why she is a true DAISY Nurse.