Bridget is a phenomenal nurse who deserves recognition for her unwavering commitment to our patients and their families, our unit, and our organization as a whole. Last fall I had the pleasure of observing Bridget interact with one of our families, and I remain in awe of the compassion and excellent care that she provided them. Sadly, the patient had a devastating diagnosis, and the family, a young couple for whom this was their first child, had bravely decided to discontinue support on their baby when they felt she was showing signs that she could not fight her disease process any longer.
Recognizing that their time together was limited, Bridget signed on as a primary nurse in order to build a relationship and rapport with this family, and enable them to maximize their limited time together. When the patient had good days, Bridget helped the family build positive memories together - like dressing the patient up in the parent's favorite outfits they had bought in anticipation of the birth of their daughter and doing a photoshoot to capture their precious moments together, knowing their daughter would never be able to do so many of the things that the parents had hoped and planned for. On the hard days, when the patient experienced a setback or was uncomfortable, Bridget would support the family in expressing their deepest thoughts, fears, and questions about the patient's quality of life and to talk through what life without their newborn daughter would be like when they left the hospital without her.
When others struggled to find the words to say or the right way to support the family, Bridget would come in, hug the parents, and talk through options to create memories together. I will never forget the day prior to the patient's due date, when I was assigned to the family, and Bridget came in to help them plan the patient's "due date" party for the following day. I could tell the parents wanted to commemorate this moment but were unsure of what could be done given her hospitalization and her condition. Nevertheless, Bridget talked through a variety of different events that families in other similar positions had done as part of the Palliative Care program on our unit before. In the end, they decided on a party theme and Bridget got out decorations, helped them with a special "due date party" photoshoot, and even went as far as to bring in a chocolate ice cream cake to celebrate. I know without a doubt that this was truly one of the most special days of those parent's lives, as they were able to spend a final day with their daughter. While the fear of what lay ahead was always looming, Bridget empowered the family to spend a day together to celebrate, laugh, and love- creating yet another memory they will cherish forever. It is in no way, shape, or form an exaggeration to say that Bridget forever changed that family's life for the better... and that no one else could have done it the way she did . . . in true Bridget fashion.
This commitment to relationship building with patients and their families is further evidenced by Bridget' s role in the NICU Primary Nursing program, where she has taken the lead in connecting nurses with families to ensure consistency of care, build trust and rapport between families and our healthcare team, and to facilitate special bonds such as these - which bring light to families in some of the darkest times. While this is the example that most speaks to me when thinking of Bridget's character, the truth is that it is just one of many ways that she exemplifies all that is amazing about Children's Hospital Colorado. It is a true honor to learn from Bridget, care for patients alongside her, and to benefit from the incredible work and investment she puts into our unit. Thank you so much for your service, Bridget!