We recently had a patient on the unit named E. She was being cared for by one of our nurses, Beth Johnson. She and Beth really bonded during her time on P5. Anytime Beth worked, she requested E, and when Beth was off, E was asking for Beth. During one of the shifts, Beth and E were talking, and E had expressed how she had a friend, and she thought it was so neat that she had purple hair, and she wished she could have purple hair. Beth knew it would be difficult to dye E's hair given the fact that she was hospitalized, and her mobility was limited, so she got creative and came up with a different idea: hair tinsel. Beth told this idea to E, and she loved it! Beth then placed an order for the tinsel and the entire kit so she could learn how to do this for her.

In the following days, E would excitedly ask Beth, "Is our package here yet?" Once the package finally arrived, Beth spent her break with E placing all the tinsel in her hair; she even finished her hair up with a beautiful French braid. Unfortunately, E's health started to decline, and the decision was ultimately made for her to transfer to Hospice.

E spent three days in hospice, and on each of those days, Beth would work her 12-hour shifts and would then go over to hospice and spend time with E. Beth was present during E's last moments and proceeded to help with her postmortem care.

This is not where Beth ended her care for Mrs. E. With permission from the family, Beth came to E's viewing with her tinsel kit and offered her services to place tinsel in the hair of every family member or friend of E who wanted it in her memory. The tinsel was viewed so dearly by E's husband and her daughters that they insisted E be buried with it still in her hair, along with the beautiful braid. The family knew this would have been E's wish.