Shannon received a 23-year-old patient from the emergency room. She was admitted with a known L5 tumor and increasing tingling, numbness in both legs and inability to ambulate. Shannon noted a bandaid on her back and asked what it was from. The patient told her she had had a biopsy and has a tumor on her spine needing surgery and she was to be transferred to St. Joseph's. Shannon admitted her to the unit and notified the physician she was there. The physician stated she needed to be emergently transferred to another facility for surgery for an exceptionally aggressive giant cell tumor on her spine. After her MRI and CT, it was confirmed it was expanding and she needed to go immediately.
St Joseph's stated they were not equipped to handle that type of surgery so the search was on for another accepting facility that could care for her. Shannon again contacted the doctor, the Administrator on Duty (AOD), and nurse practitioner. The group worked together to find an appropriate and acceptable facility that could accommodate such a tumor.
During this time Shannon was calm, soft-spoken and soothing with this patient. She continued to care for her in a calm and reassuring manner, so the patient felt safe and in good hands. Shannon was to leave shift at 7 pm but stayed until 10 pm and assisted the night charge nurse in making arrangements to have the patient transferred to another facility in Orlando for care.
The patient had one surgery and pulled through and is anticipating another as soon as possible.
This is Shannon: kind, soft-spoken, reassuring and so very competent. She never presents herself as being upset, rushed or disinterested. You always feel you are the most important thing to her.