I had two extraordinary nurses during my son's second stay here at U of M. This entire process is very exhausting, in every way possible. When we got to the floor, we had nothing but positive experiences with everyone, but especially with our nurses, Tanya and Anita. They treated my son like he was their own child. The compassion and understanding they had with him were above and beyond anything we had expected or experienced before. They took the extra time to comfort him when he needed to be comforted and was attentive to everything. Not only did the nurses take the best possible care of my son, but they took the time to comfort us! I can't explain the empty, scared, and hopeless feeling you have as you put your child's life in other people's hands. It's a feeling no parent should have to experience. It leaves you extremely emotional, and at times, irrational. These amazing nurses took the time to explain what my son was going through, showed us what all the crazy things he was hooked up to did to help him. We were fortunate to be able to request them every day that Tanya and Anita worked, so we had both nurses for our entire stay on the 10th floor! You certainly cannot teach someone to be compassionate, so when it comes naturally to someone, especially a nurse, you need to appreciate them and not take these amazing people for granted.
I don't ever want my son to have to go through anything like this, ever again. But, if we do, I have the utmost confidence my son and my family will be taken care of at U of M. I don't know how my son and my family would have gotten through this without these nurses. My family is eternally grateful!