Alexis Mattiucci
December 2024
Alexis
Mattiucci
,
RN
Vascular Stepdown
Orlando Regional Medical Center
Orlando
,
FL
United States
Alexis embodies the exceptional combination of expertise and competence mixed beautifully with empathy, humility, kindness, and grace.
A “good death” elicits enormous attention—literature, lectures, podcasts, and sermons. In reality, the palpable pain and sadness following some deaths overshadows even the most peaceful, gentle event. What eases the utter loneliness and confusion associated with death centers on family, friends, and, in some cases, caregivers who are ‘doing a job.’ M died at ORMC, 5N, in August.
Alexis Mattiucci entered our lives early that day. A sudden deterioration earlier that morning before Alexis arrived elicited re-directing care for M away from ‘treatment’ to ‘comfort.’ Alexis quietly took care of M and family. When she introduced herself, she simply asked about how we were doing, if we were concerned about any anxiety, distress with M. Alexis listened. She promised to check in approximately every 30 minutes. At first, that seemed impossible on a busy inpatient unit on a Sunday. Alexis came in close to every 30 minutes. She simply entered the room, sometimes spoke but mostly did not. Sometimes she provided medication, stood by for a minute or 2. We never left the room to look for a nurse, to ask for help. Alexis just took care of us. The striking, stunning part of her presence centered on quiet, calm, few words, no noise. We hardly noticed her coming in and out of the room. She simply provided a steady, reliable, gentle presence similar to a nod of approval from a friend before a stressful presentation or like a parent or sibling might place a hand softly on the shoulder of a kid who just lost a championship baseball game. How this stranger whom no one in this family is likely to ever encounter again navigated us so carefully, kindly, easily through that day will remain a rare but comfortable mystery, a peaceful gift.
One of us has worked in patient care (including pediatric critical care) for decades. From that perspective and insight, Alexis embodies the exceptional combination of expertise and competence mixed beautifully with empathy, humility, kindness, and grace. Alexis embodies the essence of the DAISY Award, in this case, critically relevant to the experience of a family during the death of a wife, a mother, a twin sister: empathy, trust, and selflessness.
Alexis Mattiucci entered our lives early that day. A sudden deterioration earlier that morning before Alexis arrived elicited re-directing care for M away from ‘treatment’ to ‘comfort.’ Alexis quietly took care of M and family. When she introduced herself, she simply asked about how we were doing, if we were concerned about any anxiety, distress with M. Alexis listened. She promised to check in approximately every 30 minutes. At first, that seemed impossible on a busy inpatient unit on a Sunday. Alexis came in close to every 30 minutes. She simply entered the room, sometimes spoke but mostly did not. Sometimes she provided medication, stood by for a minute or 2. We never left the room to look for a nurse, to ask for help. Alexis just took care of us. The striking, stunning part of her presence centered on quiet, calm, few words, no noise. We hardly noticed her coming in and out of the room. She simply provided a steady, reliable, gentle presence similar to a nod of approval from a friend before a stressful presentation or like a parent or sibling might place a hand softly on the shoulder of a kid who just lost a championship baseball game. How this stranger whom no one in this family is likely to ever encounter again navigated us so carefully, kindly, easily through that day will remain a rare but comfortable mystery, a peaceful gift.
One of us has worked in patient care (including pediatric critical care) for decades. From that perspective and insight, Alexis embodies the exceptional combination of expertise and competence mixed beautifully with empathy, humility, kindness, and grace. Alexis embodies the essence of the DAISY Award, in this case, critically relevant to the experience of a family during the death of a wife, a mother, a twin sister: empathy, trust, and selflessness.