May 2011
May
Lau
,
Registered Nurse
Adult ICU
UCLA HEALTH (CA)
Los Angeles
,
CA
United States

 

 

 

May Lau is an extraordinary nurse. She provides comfort and compassion to her patients on a regular basis. This was most evident in the relationship she developed with one of our own. May had the good fortune to take care of one of UCLA's finest. She stated it was a pleasure because the patient was so sweet and entertaining, even when he was feeling his worst. The patient's prognosis was poor, but May did not shy away from the difficult conversations. She asked him about his religious beliefs and he stated, "I don't have any in particular, my garden is my religion." May grasped this topic with fervor and she and the patient planted the seeds of friendship through their discussions of gardening and all the joys that it brings. The patient had been in our unit for approximately a month. He and May had many discussions on end of life issues. He asked to stay in touch with her after he was discharged home to hospice. Shortly after discharge, May called the patient's wife to see how he was faring. She was invited to their house to sit with him. When May arrived, she found the patient sitting in his garden, playing on his new toy (the hover-round). He was very excited to show her how it worked and she enjoyed the show he put on. They discussed the garden and its life cycles, enjoying the beauty of newly sowed life as well as the beauty of the flower's end with the conclusion of it fertilizing the next plant. Unfortunately, a couple of days after that visit, the patient fell ill again. May had gone to visit him to provide support and encouragement. The patient confided in her that he was ready to go. She sat with him and discussed what that meant and the details surrounding it. He thanked her for all of her compassion, dedication, and friendship she had shown him. Later that evening, he sent her an email indicating the date and time he was going to begin his withdrawal of care. He asked May to come to his bedside to be with him and his family. She was touched by their compassion and gracefully accepted the invitation. May's dedication, compassion, advocacy, and caring are an inspiration to me as well as her colleagues. I think she is an excellent candidate for the DAISY Award for these very reasons!!