Sam Beinborn
February 2021
Sam
Beinborn
,
RN
ICU/CCU
Mayo Clinic Health System: Franciscan Healthcare - LaCrosse
La Crosse
,
WI
United States

 

 

 

Sam called and asked for the stuffed monkey to be delivered to the hospital’s front entrance.
Around the ICU, he is well known for his willingness to step up and go the extra mile to help others. Recently, I personally witnessed a situation where Sam revealed his passion for nursing at its finest. On that morning, Sam was taking care of a patient with special needs in his early 20s. The patient spent significant time in the hospital alone, not able to see his mother at his bedside due to COVID-19 restrictions. During the patient’s hospital stay, he was transferred to different floors multiple times.

Unfortunately, during one of these transitions, the patient lost his beloved stuffed monkey named Curious the III. This stuffed animal was the only connection he had with his family and life outside the hospital. Despite a thorough investigation, the monkey was nowhere to be found. The patient was upset, but, when Sam entered the room and started cracking jokes, his face lit up. What he didn’t know at the time was that Sam was on a mission! Sam remembered that he still had a box of stuffed animals from his youth somewhere in storage at his parent’s house. He called and asked for the stuffed monkey to be delivered to the hospital’s front entrance. Shortly after, Curious the IV found his new friend. With this act of kindness, Sam truly reflected the values of Mayo Clinic and embodied “the needs of the patient come first.” I am very fortunate to have Sam as a team member of the ICU team. Thank you, Sam, for your dedication, compassion, and kindness!