Audra Nelson
July 2014
Audra
Nelson
,
RN
Maternity
UnityPoint Health - Des Moines
Des Moines
,
IA
United States
Nearly 4 months ago, our lives changed forever. That was the day we gave birth to our long-awaited son, who we knew would not stay with us on this side of heaven. God gave us many angels that day to help us deal with our loss and among them was Audra, our nurse in the maternity center. His birth wasn't the first time we had crossed paths with Audra-two years before she was our nurse during our daughter's birth. But on this day Audra was so much more than our nurse.
In that delivery room, as I gave birth to our stillborn son, she became a friend, an angel and someone who would help us in those early hours of grieving our son's loss. During our birth and after, Audra displayed so much compassion to our family. She came with every call light; got me all of my medications but those are easy jobs as a nurse. Audra went above and beyond the call of what a nurse does day in and day out, what we are called to do on those occasions where nursing isn't learned in a text book.
Audra prayed with us, held us in our sobbing, shared in our smiles, took pictures of our family with our son and helped us make memories in those few, sweet, cherished hours with our son. She and a secretary even orchestrated the delivery of a birthday cake for our son so we could sing him happy birthday, a memory that we will always cherish.
Over the last several months, I've struggled to find the words to tell the world what Audra meant to us that day. But the truth is, there aren't any. There aren't any words to tell the world how one person made a difference in the hearts of parents who were dealing with the loss of their child. There aren't words to say how Audra displayed a caring nature and how, through her actions, we could tell that she was sharing our loss and hurting with us. I am a nurse myself and I know how hard situations can be, and I hope that I can display a fraction of the love, compassion and excellence that Audra displayed that day.
Thank you, Audra, for making a difference in our lives and for all the lives you have inevitably touched in your work. You were our angel that day, one that God knew we needed and we were so blessed to have you as a part of our care.
In that delivery room, as I gave birth to our stillborn son, she became a friend, an angel and someone who would help us in those early hours of grieving our son's loss. During our birth and after, Audra displayed so much compassion to our family. She came with every call light; got me all of my medications but those are easy jobs as a nurse. Audra went above and beyond the call of what a nurse does day in and day out, what we are called to do on those occasions where nursing isn't learned in a text book.
Audra prayed with us, held us in our sobbing, shared in our smiles, took pictures of our family with our son and helped us make memories in those few, sweet, cherished hours with our son. She and a secretary even orchestrated the delivery of a birthday cake for our son so we could sing him happy birthday, a memory that we will always cherish.
Over the last several months, I've struggled to find the words to tell the world what Audra meant to us that day. But the truth is, there aren't any. There aren't any words to tell the world how one person made a difference in the hearts of parents who were dealing with the loss of their child. There aren't words to say how Audra displayed a caring nature and how, through her actions, we could tell that she was sharing our loss and hurting with us. I am a nurse myself and I know how hard situations can be, and I hope that I can display a fraction of the love, compassion and excellence that Audra displayed that day.
Thank you, Audra, for making a difference in our lives and for all the lives you have inevitably touched in your work. You were our angel that day, one that God knew we needed and we were so blessed to have you as a part of our care.