February 2024
Sheree
Keller
,
BSN, RN, CCRN
SICU
Indiana University Health - University Hospital
Indianapolis
,
IN
United States
The kindness in her voice and the information she passed on calmed his mom and my sister, they were so thankful.
On January 31st, my brother-in-law was in surgery. We had struggled through the day because of flu restrictions to find a location to wait together as a family. We decided to stick together and landed in the valet parking area near Michigan St. (I think if I explain our situation, you may understand the impact Sheree had on us. We waited on every 2-hour update with anxiety and wondering if they “would get all of his cancer”. We laughed, reminisced, played a few songs, read some trivia cards, and ate cookies... and more food than we normally would between those updates. After he had been in surgery for 10+ hours, we learned it could be another 3-4 hours. At this point, I saw the weariness in his wife (my sister) and his mom grow immensely. Later, we got another call from the kind lady giving us updates and informing us that she was leaving; and the updates would stop. She did tell us that he was going to the 5th floor. After another hour or so, his elderly parents did not know if they could stay any longer, his mom was near tears, and my sister was tearful. We were so concerned for him. His mom asked if we could go see where he was going to be and where we would go to the waiting room the next day. We went to the 5th floor, unsure where to go, we were escorted by a man in blue over a bridge, I think in the back way. Several nurses were there, and they were surprised to see us arrive at the ICU the way we did. I explained why we were there. Sheree stepped up immediately. She was professional and kind, she told us his room number and told my sister what to expect and that she could stay with him. Then she showed us a small waiting room for a few and a larger waiting room for others. The kindness in her voice and the information she passed on calmed his mom and my sister, they were so thankful. It was only a little information, but she took the time when she was busy to answer questions and alleviate fears they had. It does not always take hours of care or a life-saving task to make a difference. We could have easily been perceived as a family that was impatient or pesky. Sheree did not treat us that way. She made a significant difference for 2 family members, that had been waiting for many hours and were so scared for their loved one.