The hospital is a scary place in general. It's even scarier for a mother when her child is there. When our son became septic and had dangerously low blood pressure, his dad and I had no idea what to expect. The first few hours he got admitted were a blur of words and procedures I didn't understand. There were many people in and out of our son's room poking and prodding and asking questions, but to this day I couldn't tell you who they were or what their title was. Then our night nurse came on and is the sole reason we made it through the night without losing our minds. Her name is Shea Scanlon.
Shea was quiet at first, but not in a standoffish way. She was quiet in a way that kept me feeling calm about the chaos surrounding my son and me. She was quiet in a way that said, "trust me, I've got this". Through the night there were many more procedures, pokes, and prods, but we were blessed with a nurse who took time to explain each of them in a way that we, as foreigners to the medical world, could understand. When the physicians seemed to talk at us, she spoke to us. At 2 am, when my son's fever got the best of him and he became delirious and aggressive, admittedly, I lost my patience. Shea never did. She spoke to him in a calming voice, she reassured him with caring touch, she kept him safe, and she gave me the permission I so badly needed to step away from his room to calm myself.
On the walk back to our room in the ICU, I tried to keep my head down, but I couldn't. I saw the machines and situations others were having, and I know we had it easy. If Shea was able to show such compassion and caring for us, with a relatively healthy (and very stubborn) child, I can only imagine the comfort she has given to the families who are fighting for their children's lives. I was hoping to never see the inside of your hospital, especially the ICU, but I cannot tell you how thankful I am to have had Shea as our nurse to make it easier on all of us. Although our son was sick, we had a wonderful experience at Children's Mercy with everyone we encountered, from the security guards to the cafeteria staff and most certainly all of our nurses, but Shea holds a special place in my heart.