Taylor Cobbs
February 2025
Taylor
Cobbs
,
BSN, RN
Medical Intensive Care Unit
Medical City Dallas
Dallas
,
TX
United States
In the first hour post-op, and even before my wife was conscious, Taylor had already begun to take on the burden of much of my family's grief, assuring me every step of the way that we were in the best hands.
My wife and I were heartbroken but hopeful after receiving the news that she had a miscarriage. Scheduling a D&C procedure was just the next step in the process of moving toward our goal of expanding our family. While typically a routine procedure, we ran into complications, and in order to save my wife's life, our OR team elected to remove the uterus in an emergency hysterectomy. She was intubated, put on MTP, and surgery was carried out successfully.
I was taken to the MICU before my wife was woken up and extubated, and the first person to greet me in the MICU was Taylor. She sat with me in the waiting area before walking me back to my wife and delicately, kindly, and patiently explained everything she knew about the situation, allowed me to ask any questions I might have, and helped guide me through a number of decisions I didn't know I would have to make that day. Do I want to see her intubated? Do I want to be there when she wakes up? Do I want to be the one to tell her what happened? She never asked these questions directly but helped guide the conversation in a way that allowed me to make those decisions without even realizing the questions had been asked.
In the first hour post-op, and even before my wife was conscious, Taylor had already begun to take on the burden of much of my family's grief, assuring me every step of the way that we were in the best hands. Due to the emergent nature of the operation, the amount of blood lost, the amount of anesthesia, pain medication, paralytics, etc., the waking and extubation process took considerably longer than expected, well past shift change. A number of times, my wife began to stir as if to wake up, and I looked to the nurse's station outside the window; Taylor was still there. Of course, when she did finally wake up, Respiratory was giving a report, and we couldn't get the tube taken out right away. Again, instead of handing off and going home to her own family, Taylor stayed with mine until she was sure my wife was awake, breathing on her own, and stable. Before she left, in the chaos and emotional wreckage, I asked if she would be back tomorrow. She said she would but wasn't sure if she would be assigned to us.
Sure enough, 7 am comes around, and she's made her way back to our room, having insisted on being assigned to my wife's care. Throughout the day, she confided in us some of her own traumas, stories of her own personal life, not in an invasive or intrusive or oversharing way, but in a way that made us feel seen and not alone, something we desperately needed in a time of deep emotional despair. Beyond her emotional aptitude, Taylor's care and attention to detail in a medical sense were second to none. Every question was answered, and no need went unnoticed. Never was there a time we wondered, what happens next, is this right, is someone coming to check on us. Every single thing was taken care of without prompt or provocation and done so with confidence and compassion. To say we were comforted by her actions would be my greatest understatement. Not just one, but two days after being moved out of the ICU, Taylor took time from her work and spent her lunch breaks checking on us, continuing to care for us even when we were well beyond her responsibility.
I should take a moment to mention that my wife is also an ICU nurse (not at Med City). To hear her talk about how impressed she is by the level of care and the amount of compassion we received is nothing short of an award in and of itself. She prides herself on being part of an incredibly elite unit with whom she has worked for 14 years, and for her to include anyone, especially a stranger, in that company is remarkable. I would also like to note that every individual under whose care we were fortunate enough to be at Med City acted in the utmost professional, kind, and caring manner, with our best interests and comfort clearly at heart. From the doctors and surgeons, the anesthesia team, the nurses, techs, food service, and cleaning services, all should be commended for their positive attitudes and dedication to service. However, Taylor Cobbs went above and beyond all, and we will be forever thankful for her in a moment of trauma, loss, and grief. We will never forget the way she effortlessly but intentionally helped us carry our burden, and we could not recommend her enough for recognition of service.
I was taken to the MICU before my wife was woken up and extubated, and the first person to greet me in the MICU was Taylor. She sat with me in the waiting area before walking me back to my wife and delicately, kindly, and patiently explained everything she knew about the situation, allowed me to ask any questions I might have, and helped guide me through a number of decisions I didn't know I would have to make that day. Do I want to see her intubated? Do I want to be there when she wakes up? Do I want to be the one to tell her what happened? She never asked these questions directly but helped guide the conversation in a way that allowed me to make those decisions without even realizing the questions had been asked.
In the first hour post-op, and even before my wife was conscious, Taylor had already begun to take on the burden of much of my family's grief, assuring me every step of the way that we were in the best hands. Due to the emergent nature of the operation, the amount of blood lost, the amount of anesthesia, pain medication, paralytics, etc., the waking and extubation process took considerably longer than expected, well past shift change. A number of times, my wife began to stir as if to wake up, and I looked to the nurse's station outside the window; Taylor was still there. Of course, when she did finally wake up, Respiratory was giving a report, and we couldn't get the tube taken out right away. Again, instead of handing off and going home to her own family, Taylor stayed with mine until she was sure my wife was awake, breathing on her own, and stable. Before she left, in the chaos and emotional wreckage, I asked if she would be back tomorrow. She said she would but wasn't sure if she would be assigned to us.
Sure enough, 7 am comes around, and she's made her way back to our room, having insisted on being assigned to my wife's care. Throughout the day, she confided in us some of her own traumas, stories of her own personal life, not in an invasive or intrusive or oversharing way, but in a way that made us feel seen and not alone, something we desperately needed in a time of deep emotional despair. Beyond her emotional aptitude, Taylor's care and attention to detail in a medical sense were second to none. Every question was answered, and no need went unnoticed. Never was there a time we wondered, what happens next, is this right, is someone coming to check on us. Every single thing was taken care of without prompt or provocation and done so with confidence and compassion. To say we were comforted by her actions would be my greatest understatement. Not just one, but two days after being moved out of the ICU, Taylor took time from her work and spent her lunch breaks checking on us, continuing to care for us even when we were well beyond her responsibility.
I should take a moment to mention that my wife is also an ICU nurse (not at Med City). To hear her talk about how impressed she is by the level of care and the amount of compassion we received is nothing short of an award in and of itself. She prides herself on being part of an incredibly elite unit with whom she has worked for 14 years, and for her to include anyone, especially a stranger, in that company is remarkable. I would also like to note that every individual under whose care we were fortunate enough to be at Med City acted in the utmost professional, kind, and caring manner, with our best interests and comfort clearly at heart. From the doctors and surgeons, the anesthesia team, the nurses, techs, food service, and cleaning services, all should be commended for their positive attitudes and dedication to service. However, Taylor Cobbs went above and beyond all, and we will be forever thankful for her in a moment of trauma, loss, and grief. We will never forget the way she effortlessly but intentionally helped us carry our burden, and we could not recommend her enough for recognition of service.