My wife and I are both nurses and care for children with special needs. Recently our little one (9 month old) was admitted back to PICU for respiratory issues, aspiration pneumonia and withdrawal complications. Our little one spent his first 75 days in NICU on vents, CPAP and other respiratory items. We brought him home from NICU and was told that he was the worst OPIUM addicted baby that they had ever seen. A normal positive drug level is 150 and his was over 3000. This hospitalization is #5 for us.
We had never worked with Angela, but she says that she had taken care of this baby in NICU. As nurses we have a very high expectation of care that we expect to be given to members of our family. Angela went out of her way to make sure that we understood all of his care and why they were doing whatever they were doing. While this baby was in the hospital this last time he had to have a trach placed to reduce his chances of more aspiration pneumonia. When he was brought up from surgery he was brought directly to the PICU bypassing recovery. As we entered the room they were working on him. He was coughing, gasping, turning blue. They were giving him versed to help calm him down, but that did not work.
I, an ER nurse and NICU nurse, could not take what I was seeing and had to leave the room and go out and lean up against the wall. My wife, the psych nurse, turned to look for me to tell me that she was going to have to leave the room realized that I was not in the room and came out looking for me. As we both were crying outside the room, Angela came to us and we stated that we felt that we had made a huge mistake in letting them place the trach in this baby. Angela took our hands and said that everything was going to be all right and that we would have to look at the bigger picture for his care. We told her we felt like rats doing this to him. She said that he would get better and that we should not feel that way.
Well, Angela was right. The trach has been the best thing that has happened to him. Angela was assigned to him most of the time he was in PICU and on numerous occasions when he was moved to step down. She would stop by and check on him and us and ask if we needed anything even if she was not assigned to him on that day. When it came time for trach teaching, Angela made me and my wife very comfortable with it. She took her time and sat with us and explained the procedures, whys and why nots. It was a pleasure learning from her.
My wife and I both teach nursing and Angela was by far one of the best instructors that we have ever seen. We cannot say enough about her and her positive caring attitude. Angela made this awful time in our lives more tolerable and understanding.
Thank you for allowing us to explain our sincere thanks to a wonderful person, nurse and caring individual. Angela is more than deserving of the DAISY Award.