July 2015
Johanna
Kruse
,
RN
Infusion Clinic
St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea
Chelsea
,
MI
United States

 

 

 

When I think about who has a career in nursing, I always think about a thoughtful, caring individual who chose this profession to heal people in a concerned and kind manner.

Johanna far exceeded any of my expectations. She is so knowledgeable, compassionate and considerate and possesses a great sense of humor which I truly need in dealing with Cancer. I literally trust my life to her each week while receiving my chemotherapy infusion.

Our first meeting was in March at St. Joesph Mercy Chelsea Cancer Center where I was having my first infusion. I never felt so frightened in my life. Johanna walked into the waiting room, called my name and there was an instant connection. She totally put my mind at ease, explained each step of my treatment and all the different drugs she was administering into my port/body. Johanna shows me all my chemo drugs and we go over the dosage and that my name and date of birth are listed on each bag. She also has this information checked by another nurse. She never fails to make sure I am comfortable and has even found a way to administer my steroid drug slowly with no heated chair or blanket, so I will have less pain. I feel at ease and so confident knowing I have an excellent nurse looking out for me and I can't tell you how much that means to me. I will be on my 10th infusion next week (12 in total) and without her by my side, I honestly don't know if I could have continued the treatment with such courage. I look forward to seeing her. We share stories about our families, movies, vacations and the connection is real.

...

Johanna has given me great advice regarding home care and answers all my questions each week with such helpful suggestions.

...

She is an amazing person and one of the most competent, intelligent, concerned nurses I have encountered in my life. I feel so blessed to have her by my side each Wednesday morning making this journey far less scary.

...

Johanna Kruse truly deserves to be recognized with "The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses." She exemplifies the meaning of an outstanding nurse, person and role model.