My dad was hospitalized in the CCU at TCMC. He was admitted with congestive heart failure and was given a potential diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome within 24 hours of admission. This unwelcome complication exacerbated his struggle, and his care was transferred to an in-house hospice in the CCU on day 5 of his admission.

On the last two nights of my father’s life, we were graced with the care of Bhavi. My dad was pretty much unresponsive at this point, although his nervous system was easily agitated. Bhavi was gentle, kind, and meticulous in her delivery of care. Her attention to detail was astonishing, and she was approachable and collaborative as my dad moved in and out of periods of agitation.

Bhavi never hesitated to actively address issues that could be managed to ensure his comfort and ease the work of dying. On his last night, he was demonstrating agitation, muscle spasticity, and clonus, and the hospital pharmacist stated that their supply of Ativan was limited.

Bhavi reached out to the hospice doctor on call and was able to secure a morphine pump to deliver a consistent dose of medication to ease these symptoms and to finally calm his nervous system so that he could pass peacefully. In his final moments, Bhavi was respectful of our privacy and allowed me to spend that time alone with my dad.

Once he passed, Bhavi was incredibly diligent in following hospice protocol so that everything moved very efficiently, and communicated procedures and protocols with confidence and compassion. Outside of her exceptional level of care, it should be noted that Bhavi is a recent graduate from nursing school and began work at Tennova in January of this year.

One of her colleagues pointed out to me that she had just recently celebrated her 21st birthday, and in this, shared my respect and admiration for her commitment to excellence at such a young age. Astonishingly, as we were saying our goodbyes and I was conveying my gratitude, Bhavi admitted that my father was the first patient who had died in her care.

She made this claim with utmost humility, and with the sweetest sense of dignity and self-respect. Honestly, this made me love her all the more, and only served to elevate my sense of awe in reflecting on how she cared for my dad and me during those precious moments. In my opinion, Bhavi was born to do the work of nursing.

Bhavi's instincts are on point, and she is willing to do whatever is possible to ensure that the needs of her patients are met swiftly and compassionately. For such a young professional, she communicated clearly with me, with her nurse colleagues, and with the physicians in charge of my father’s care.

Bhavi was humble enough to ask for help from her more experienced colleagues when warranted, and in watching them work as a team, it was obvious that they shared my respect for Bhavi's skill set as a young professional. Losing my dad was not easy, and dying in the hospital was something he never wanted, and we never wanted as a family.

That being said, it was my privilege to spend those last days with him in such a caring environment, and with Bhavi in charge. I will be forever grateful to Bhavi, and Bhavi will always have a special place in my heart.