On a Friday I found my father at home on the ground in his room, conscious but unresponsive. He was transported to the ED via EMS. Once he arrived the physicians were not sure what happened to him so a CT scan was ordered. Well, things did not go well and my father arrested during the CT. He was down for approximately 10 minutes and is currently ventilated in CCU. My stepmother, his wife, was a patient in neuro ICU, battling an infection and on complete bed rest. She was aware that my father had come into the hospital on Friday but had not yet been told of the arrest or the seriousness of his condition. On Saturday, the intensivist treating my father in CCU had been speaking with me and did not believe my father was going to survive based on his physical status. He offered to come with me to my stepmother's room and explain my father's condition. Sonia was my stepmother's nurse on Saturday. She was more than accommodating, allowing several of my family members to be present during the sad news that the doctor was delivering. When he told her of my father's condition and began discussing the need to consider making changes in his code status my stepmother became very upset and said, "I need to go see him". Sonia exited the room and was back within a few minutes with a portable suction to hook her wound vac to as well as other supplies to ready her for transport. Sonia had already called the attending MD to get permission to move her and got her ready. Within 20 minutes of my stepmother being delivered devastating news about her husband of 38 years, she was being moved. This caring and compassionate RN brought my step-mother up to my father's room and pushed her bed next to his, so she could see him and touch him. It was both the sweetest and most heartbreaking sight at the same time.
I have been a nurse for 25 years and have never witnessed such an act of kindness. She did not have to go through all of that because I know it was not an easy task. No one asked her but she saw the heartbreak in my stepmom's face and heard it in her voice and knew what she needed to do. She made sure that just in case my father passed before my stepmom was discharged she had the opportunity to see him and tell him she loved him. Sonia Hughes, the wonderful NEURO ICU RN, left the room as did everyone to allow my dad and his wife some privacy. Later, seeing how distraught my stepmother was she went to her side and comforted her. She gave her all the time she needed with him before transporting her back to her room.
If this act does not exemplify caring, compassion and family-centered care, I don't know what does. I believe that sometimes this side of nursing is overlooked. We become so task-oriented that we forget about the human side of our patients. I hope that I am half the nurse that Sonia is. Thank you for having such a wonderful nurse on your staff.