First I would like to say that my wife P was brought to the Raleigh Duke ER and admitted from there numerous times since April when her decline in health began. The care that she received from the entire staff on every level from housekeeping, dietary staff, NAs, nurses, PAs, to the physicians on staff was always exceptional. However, there was one nurse who stood out whom I believe is a DAISY Nurse, Sarah Rosenzweig.
P was brought to the ER, admitted to the ICU, and had a procedure to attempt to stop the internal bleeding that was not successful. My daughter and I discussed her condition with the Doctor and after considering all the options and possible outcomes, along with her obvious distress, we made the difficult decision to discontinue treatment and make P comfortable. Following that decision, P was moved from ICU to a step-down unit on the same floor where she came under the care of Nurse Sarah.
Sarah professionally and compassionately explained to my daughter and me what to expect as we approached the end, letting us know that there was no way to know when the final moment would come. Sarah kept a close eye on both P and me during her shift, showing as much concern for my wellbeing as for P. She shared personal experiences to help me cope and patiently listened to stories about my wonderful wife and our life together during our 64-year marriage.
Sarah's shift ended that day and she turned P's care over to the capable and kind staff coming on duty. When Sarah returned the next evening she was surprised to find us still keeping watch over P. After assessing P's condition and listening to our observations that she seemed to be in more distress, Sarah recommended an increase in P's medication to make her more comfortable to which we were in agreement. Sarah immediately contacted the doctor and it was done. As the evening progressed and Sarah continued to check on me and P making sure that we were both comfortable and again patiently listening to my stories.
Around 11 pm I fell asleep holding P's hand until 1:58 am when I was awakened by the gentle hand of Nurse Sarah who softly informed me that P was gone and I could let go. Sarah called my daughter and stayed by my side to help me get through what I can only describe as one of the worst moments of my life. She reminded me that P was no longer in pain which was a blessing for us all and though it was not an easy decision, we did what was best for P. Nothing can prepare you for a moment like that, but Sarah's words of comfort and support definitely helped to ease the pain.