Mary McGovern is a very kind and compassionate nurse. She goes above and beyond each and every day in her practice. We had a young trauma patient who had been in a motorcycle accident and had numerous severe injuries. The patient lost his entire right leg and a portion of his right hand. As an avid motorcycle rider, the patient had to come to terms with the fact that he would never ride a motorcycle again. As he became more alert and aware of the full extent of his injuries, the patient became very depressed. He expressed a desire to commit suicide and die. Mary had been his nurse throughout his early, dark days on 5W PSU. One day, he asked to speak to the Charge RN. I went in to his room to see how he was doing. The patient stated to me that status post his injury, he was very depressed and did not wish to live. He explained to me that he then met Mary. He said that Mary changed his life.
She took the time to talk with him, listen to him, and support and encourage him, even on his most difficult days. The patient loved to tell Mary about his family and she always took the time to listen. The patient explained that throughout his last few weeks on 5W PSU, Mary made him realize that he had a reason to live. Each and every day that she cared for him, he saw himself improving little by little.
The patient teared up as he told me, "Mary is my angel on this earth. I don't know what I would have become without her."
After a month-long stay, the patient was finally cleared for discharge. The 5W PSU staff went to say goodbye to him. The patient thanked all of us for the excellent care that he received from the staff on 5W PSU. However, he continued to recognize his favorite nurse, Mary.
He stated that he will never forget Mary-the nurse who saved his life in more ways than one.